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EDGAR WILLIAMS STANTON 



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In Memoriam 
Edgar Williams Stanton 



Eighteen Hundred and Fifty 
Nineteen Hundred and Twenty 






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By this Memorial to Dr. Edgar Williams 
Stanton, the Iowa State College of Agri- 
culture and Mechanic Arts pays lasting 
tribute to the character, the scholarship and 
the service of one of the most distinguished 
members of its faculty. 



THERE IS NO DEATH. 
To E. W. Stanton 

I cannot think his chair is empty now, 

Or that another comes to fill the place 

Where he was wont to sit and greet 

The slowly moving lines. 

Somewhere, upon the Campus that he loved. 

He must be waiting still. Another turn, 

And we shall meet him face to face. 

I cannot think that he is far-away; 

His spirit fills the place, 

Looks down, sees all with brooding tenderness ; 

Lives on in these, the men and women who. 

Through all the years, have learned to call him friend- 

Who, stumbling, never lacked a helping hand, 

And faltering, have found him strong to hold 

Them to their best ideals and his own. 

In these he lives, and in their children, too. 

Will live through generations yet to come. 

For him, there is no need of Campus bell 

To stir our memories, lest we forget. 

For him, there is no death ! 

Margaret J. McElroy, Ex 1911. 
Des Moines, Iowa. 



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BIOGRAPHICAL 



LIFE OF EDGAR WILLIAMS STANTON 

BY 

Margaret Stanton Kirshman, '02 

BOYHOOD 

The early life of Edgar Williams Stanton was spent at Waymart, 
Wayne County, Pennsylvania. It was there that he was born on 
October 3, 1850 and lived through the impressionable years of his 
life when the Civil War was being fought. His great-grandfather, 
Colonel Asa Stanton, was the first settler in Wayne County, coming 
from Norwich and New London, Connecticut in 1790. At one time 
Colonel Stantoii owned the land which included the site of the pres- 
ent village of Waymart. As early as 1793 he chose for his home the 
farm land upon which Mr, Stanton's father, Fitz Henry Stanton, 
lived after 1882 and which was the home of Mr. Stanton's grand- 
father, Asa Stanton, from the time of the Colonel's death until 1881. 
Though Mr. Stanton was born on a farm in South Clinton township 
scarcely a stone's throw from Waymart and from 1859 until he went 
away to school lived in the home which his father built in the village 
of Waymart, still the farm of his grandfather and great-grandfather 
to which his father moved in 1882 became the home to him and it was 
to this home in later years that he took his family on their many sum- 
mer trips back to Pennsylvania. By the time Mr. Stanton's father, Fitz 
Henry, took up the estate in 1882, it had been divided, but that only 
meant that "Aunt Lucy" lived on one side and "Uncle Sam" on the 
other. A trip to Waymart was truly going back among the home- 
folks. It was only after there were no longer any members of Mr. 
Stanton's own family to look after the estate that the Pennsylvania 
home was sold in 1907. 

The natural environment in which Mr. Stanton's boyhood was 
spent was a beautiful one, Waymart borough is ideally located in a 

15 



BOYHOOD 17 

It is from these diaries and from the many stories he loved to tell 
of his boyhood days that we can easily picture the life of the son of 
a. farmer and lumberman who also owned and operated a water-power 
sawmill. Edgar, the only living son, cut and hauled logs, or went 
with his father to buy cattle driving them home from adjoining 
counties. A record of expenses shows that he drove the Niles's cow 
to and from the pasture for the munificent sum of twenty-five cents 
a month. 

Those were the good old days of the spelling school, the sewing 
bee, and the singing school. According to his diaries, Sunday in the 
Methodist church which the family attended meant Sunday school 
and "meeting" in the morning, "meeting" in the afternoon, and 
"meeting" in the evening. Mr. Stanton always prized the book 
which he won for learning the most verses in the Bible. 

In January, I860, when he was still nine years of age, Mr. Stanton 
wrote in the diary, "It is very pleasant for the season of the year [a 
sentence often repeated in his diary]. We are all well. Ossian, and 
Katherine [an adopted sister] and I are going to school. I study 
Practical Arithmetic, and Geography, and Reading, and Intellectual 
Arithmetic. I hope we shall prosper and learn. Father is at work on 
the new house and is going to measure his logs and when school is 
out Ossian and I are going to play." 

A great pastime for the boys was "hand-sledding", and on that 
January day they probably hurried off to the snow covered slopes so 
close to the home. Sleighing and skating too were common. Stan- 
ton's Pond and Keen's Lake were but a few minutes drive from 
the town, and Elk Lake was only four miles away. The boys often 
went swimming or fishing, or upon the mountain side gathering blue- 
berries, blackberries, and chestnuts. Once he and a neighbor boy 
conceived the idea while picking berries that they would sell enough 
to lay in a good supply of firecrackers for the Fourth of July. The 
spanking which followed taught a lesson always remembered that the 
property of others is sacred and never to be appropriated by another, 
no matter what the temptation. 

With no library in the village, we find the boy always borrowing 



18 EDGAR WILLIAMS STANTON 

and lending books ; his early love for history is especially noted in the 
books mentioned; in 1864, he borrowed "The Life of Alexander the 
Great," returning the book completely read at the end of three days. 
How voluminous was the volume and how many candles were burned 
late into the night to accomplish this! 

Evidently he was not the goody-goody boy in school ; perhaps some 
of the pranks he played helped him to understand the ways of students 
later on. He was one of those who crawled down between the seats 
and crept on hands and knees to the door in order to go swimming 
and then crept back in the same way without being missed by the 
busy school-teacher. 

After finishing at the Waymart Normal Institute, Mr. Stanton, 
at the age of sixteen or seventeen, attended the Delaware Literary 
Institute at Franklin, New York. Some of his Waymart teachers 
were former students of this institution, and other Waymart boys 
graduated from there. It was really not going far from home, only 
into the next county to a beautiful spot in the valley of the Susque- 
hanna River. He earned his own way by taking care of the chapel, 
sweeping, dusting, and filling the lamps. On an automobile trip to 
Franklin in 1913, he said that he was afraid to have Mrs. Stanton 
and his son Donald enter the chapel for fear it might have shrunken 
as compared with the stories that he had told about its size and that 
with this shrinkage the number of lamps that had to be cleaned for 
the meager sum which he had received each week might have de- 
creased. From Franklin he went later to Poughkeepsie, New York 
to study telegraphy, with which subject he was already familiar. It 
was at Franklin that he received the influence that later so changed 
his destiny, for he became the friend of Professor Jones, the head of 
the school ; it was through him that he went to Ames to complete his 
education. 

The interims at home were spent at the mill or the farm, or in 
teaching district school. During his first term of teaching, one Friday 
afternoon was made memorable by the fact that every pupil who was 
to read an original essay began with "There was a fight" or else gave 
the entire poem "Twinkle, twinkle, little star" as an original produc- 



BOYHOOD 19 

tion. He afterwards wondered what might have happened one day 
when some girls from Waymart came to visit his school if the boys 
who blackened their faces during recess had not immediately at his 
suggestion marched to the pump. School teaching in those days meant 
"boarding around," and Mr. Stanton had many tales of intimate 
family life to tell from these experiences. He was teaching a select 
school with a lifelong friend, Lafe Dimmock, when he decided to go 
west. 

"Since I left my Pennsylvania home to enroll my name as a student 
in I. S. C," he wrote in later years, "many changes have taken 
place. One day early this week, I stood upon the old farm nestling 
as it does at the foot of the IVIoosic Mountains. I saw around me 
many evidences of the changes that had been wrought. Sturdy old 
trees which I had thought the centuries could not phase had gone 
down before the breath of the years. Mountain streams which I had 
deemed as lasting as the hills dropped out of nature's economies. Old 
time roads which I had regarded as fixtures had been supplemented 
by more pretentious convenient highways. Buildings had been re- 
modelled or replaced or their sites given over to cultivation or to 
briers, and of many an old familiar path through pasture and wood- 
land which my boyish feet had trod not a trace remained. There was 
much of life in the picture, and yet to me there brooded over it all a 
silence which that busy life of to-day neither recognized nor dis- 
turbed. The world on which my thought dwelt was still. The 
energies that had directed it were at rest. The voices that had called 
it to duty were silent ; only here and there a lone worker of the old 
days remained. Oppressed with the idea of the transient character 
of all things human, I turned to nature for my consolation. The 
marvellous beauty of the springtime resurrection was upon the valleys 
and hills, and as I looked upon the landscape it became strangely 
familiar. In all its great outlines it was unchanged. The windings 
of the valley and the far stretch of the hills were the same. The 
graceful curvings of old Moosic were set against the sky as of yore, 
and old High Knob looked down upon me with the same air of 
friendly oversight with which it had kept watch upon my boyish 



20 EDGAR WILLIAMS STANTON 

wanderings. Shrouded in the gloom of the twilight or radiant with 
the glory of the morning, it stood unchanged in its silent grandeur. 
As I turned from the faith inspiring scene and began my journey 
westward to that bit of college campus which has grown to be to me 
the most precious spot on earth, I appreciated as never before that 
that which is on the surface and which we see is in itself transient 
but that much which we do not see is eternal ; that man can touch 
the mortal with his immortal and make the picture of Auld Lang 
Syne and its seeings as lasting as the ages." 

Mr. Stanton even as a boy was intensely patriotic. It was in Octo- 
ber, 1860 that he joined the "Young American Wide Awakes" and 
marched with the others in torch light parades before the election 
and during the early days of the war. He was only ten when he 
joined, but he went with the Waymart boys when they united with 
the Honesdale or Carbondale "Wide Awakes" in their enthusiastic 
campaigns. He was only twelve when with a slight knowledge of 
telegraphy he stood for hours at the instrument and was able to 
catch enough to report to those crowding about him the returns from 
the battle of Gettysburg. "While I was a school boy," he wrote 
after the World War began, "poring over my history text, the names 
of Grant, and Sherman, and Sheridan were written before my very 
eyes in undying fame." Again he wrote, "I was but a boy when 
back in the sixties the people of this country were summoned to give 
a new interpretation to the meaning of human freedom. There was 
need of faith ; there was want of faith ; there was growth in faith. 
More than half a century has passed, and yet to-day I feel as it were 
the inspired touch of those battle-scarred, faith-growing years. It 
was then much as now: the transformation from peace to war; the 
call to arms ; the impulse to enlist ; the quickened conscience lining 
men to duty; the breaking of the home ties; the vacant chairs around 
the family hearthstone ; the waiting for the news from the field of 
battle; the casualty lists; the tightening determination that went with 
defeat ; the joy of victory ; the unifying of the nation's energies ; the 
development of great civic and military leaders ; the glory of fighting 
for a noble cause and helping to make enduring history; and, above 



EARLY COLLEGE DAYS 21 

all, the growth of that abiding faith that in camp and dreary march 
found expression in those thrilling lines: 

'In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea, 
With a glory in his bosom that transfigures you and me : 
As he died to make men holy, let us die to make men free, 
While God is marching on.' " 



EARLY COLLEGE DAYS 

To those who knew the college in its early days, the memories of the 
class of '72 are sacred. Its members were at the college when Mr. 
Stanton arrived March 5, 1870, ready to take up the duties of the 
term which opened March the ninth ; only eight of the class remained 
to rejoice with the institution in its semi-centennial celebration in 
June, 1920; before the middle of September of that same year, G. W. 
Ramsay of Independence, Iowa and E. W. Stanton had gone to the 
great beyond, leaving six, O. H. Cessna, J. L. Stevens, C. N. Dietz, 
Henry Page, C. H. Tillotson, and Mattie Locke Macomber, of the 
original twenty-six. 

The boy of nineteen as he crossed the plains from his Pennsylvania 
home must have been glad that he was not going among entire 
strangers, for he knew the Jones family. Professor Jones, elected 
professor of mathematics in January, 1868, had arrived from Frank- 
lin, New York to be in Ames at the opening of the college, October 
the twenty-first. He had acted as President of the college that first 
term while President-elect Welch finished his year as United States 
senator. Professor Jones's letters had carried back to his former 
pupil something of the opportunities which lay open to an ambitious 
young man. Mr. Stanton was one of the first, if not the first, to be 
admitted to the institution from another state ; there were, however, 
fifteen from other states who had made application for admittance 
for this March term. The year before twenty-two students had been 
refused admission because there was not room for them in the Main 
Building; Mr. Stanton, coming from another state, would have 



22 EDGAR WILLIAMS STANTON 

found difficulties confronting him had he come among strangers. He 
became a member of the Jones family, and on April 24, 1870 when 
they moved into their new home, later known as "The Maples", the 
south attic room became his for the years of his student life. 

Whether he walked from the station to the college grounds on 
that first day or rode in the bus with his small trunk hoisted upon 
the front seat, there must have been something of a longing for the 
hills and valleys and the lakes of Pennsylvania, as he first looked 
across the stretches of the prairies that he came to love so passionate- 
ly in after years. The college farm had seen its eighth harvest ; Main 
Building, still without either wing, and already too small, stood above 
the rest of the campus ; the grounds in front were no longer just the 
clay banks of '69 but had been terraced three feet high, the banks 
turfed, and the surface gravelled. The students who came the first 
year found only a group of willow trees running north and south 
past the Farm House; by March, 1870, when Mr. Stanton arrived, 
there were over 500 trees, many of them evergreens, which the stu- 
dents had planted under the direction of Dr. Welch. Two roads 
were completed: the one led from the Farm House curving to the 
north side of the terrace, and the other was completed from the south 
side of the terrace down across the creek as far as the main road to 
Ames; a branch curved to the new home of Professor Jones and 
another to President Welch's house located on the knoll south and 
east of the present chime tower and known to later students as Music 
Hall. President Welch's home was already an important center of 
college life. 

There were over two hundred students enrolled in the spring of 
1870; some were in the preparatory class, some were freshmen, all 
the others were sophomores. The class of '72, the first class at Iowa 
State College, had the distinction of being the upper class during all 
of the four years, Mr. Stanton, because of his advantages in the 
eastern schools and because Professor Jones as a former teacher could 
testify regarding his ability, had many credits accepted as "passed" and 
was allowed to join the upper class. Perhaps it was also because of 
Professor Jones's influence and because Mr. Stanton wished to special- 



EARLY COLLEGE DAYS 23 

fze in mathematics that he entered the engineering instead of the 
agricultural course. 

As a student Mr. Stanton lived at the Jones home; Miss Stalker 
[Sallie Stalker Smith] and Miss Raybourne [Hattie Raybourne 
Morse] also lived there. The three of them worked for Professor 
Jones. All students worked then either for the college or imder 
special arrangements for private individuals. "All students, without 
regard to pecuniary circumstances, are, therefore, obliged to perform 
manual labor as an essential part of the college education and dis- 
cipline and training," read the minutes of the Board of Trustees in 
January, 1866. "Instead of the idea of poverty and want being asso- 
ciated with those that labor, that of laziness and worthlcssness is 
associated with those who refuse to work efficiently." Later a rule 
was passed requiring three hours a day in summer and two hours in 
winter at the rate of from three to ten cents an hour. 

It was not only because they were first in the history of a great 
institution, that the members of the class of '72 were knit together 
so strongly, but the life they led in those early days made for close 
friendships. Though some of the students lived outside of the Main 
[except in vacations, Mr. Stanton lived within its walls only after he 
began to teach], all life on the campus was guided largely by what 
was done there, and any divergence from these rules was by special 
permission of the authorities. Like the legends of old, the stories 
related by the early graduates of the seventies were woven about a 
very definite order of the day — an order gradually lost to students of 
later years but which it is necessary to understand to appreciate the 
almost clannish sentiment of the early graduate. The day was from 
five-thirty until ten, and each hour was strictly accounted for. A very 
musical triangle was beaten as a warning for meals ; the old bell rang 
out the hours or was specially rung as a rising bell or for lights out. 
Outside of study and recitation hours, the students were divided into 
squads and under special direction performed everj' conceivable kind 
of work necessary to the running of the institution. The hour or so 
for amusements was devoted to baseball for vigorous exercise, al- 
though the men and women might join in a game of croquet or they 



24 EDGAR WILLIAMS STANTON 

might wander together on the campus. The students of the seventies 
planted the trees, built the roads, and landscaped the grounds ; the 
only conflict in the stories told as these men and women returned in 
after years was that each claimed to have done individually the things 
to which time gave the most prominent and lasting place. 

It was into this college atmosphere of work that the boy from 
Pennsylvania came to earn his way through college. The day after 
his arrival Mr. Stanton began work in the office of Professor Jones, 
who had assumed the duties of cashier of the college in January, 
1870. He chose in this way to fulfill the requirements of work as 
did also Cessna, Dietz, Hayward, and Ben Hardy. After the first 
few weeks spent in the Farm House, he was also employed at the 
Jones home receiving the stipulated ten cents an hour. He did the 
chores, crossing the campus under special permission to carry the milk 
from the farm barns where he went to milk the family cow and 
care for "Old Boney," the horse that stood in his mind for every- 
thing that was stubborn, mean, and contemptible. At the house he 
cared for the fires, pumped the water into the tank, and in emergen- 
cies assisted in the house-work. 

Concerning these days he later said in an address, "The past lingers 
lovingly in your minds and so it does in mine. Time never blots 
out of one's life the recollections of one's college days. Years may 
pass and your heads he whitened with the frosts of many winters, but 
the pleasant hours you have spent in your Alma Mater will remain 
in memory as fresh and bright as the spring time verdure. Their 
joyous memories will be with you and abide with you always, and 
bless you. Your college days and mine stand at the extremes of two 
decades, and yet I doubt not but that I walk to-night in memory 
amid the scenes of that time long gone with as clear a vision as do 
you through the years that lie just behind you. It is no disparage- 
ment of the present to recall those days. The college was then 
in its infancy. This beautiful lawn was mere raw prairie; but few of 
the buildings which now adorn it had been constructed, and the de- 
partments contained only the beginnings of that splendid equipment 
which is now our pride. The faculty, however, was one well worthv 



EARLY COLLEGE DAYS 25 

of the arduous task of establishing and giving direction to the policies 
of the institution. At its head in the full vigor of a noble manhood, 
enriched by broad scholarship and strengthened by long experience in 
executive positions, stood the revered Dr. Welch. By his side, ever 
clear-headed and helpful, was found the gallant General Geddes, 
whose name will live in American history as long as the stories of 
the deeds of valor wrought by the brave sons of Iowa who fought 
under his command in the Hornet's Nest at Shiloh. In the faculty 
list appeared also the names of Jones, Anthony, Wynn, Bessey, and 
Roberts, all of whom have since won distinction in scientific circles 
and in other institutions of higher learning. A grand faculty it was, 
and broad and deep and strong were laid by them the foundations 
of this institution." 

Mr. Stanton could not relate from experience the first days of 
the college when the Main was lighted by candles before the gas 
plant was working, nor the hauling of water in the tank on wheels 
from the Farm House before the well was completed, nor did he 
experience the days when the heating plant reversed itself and in- 
stead of the heat coming into the rooms over the transoms from the 
halls, the cold air, blowing through the crevices of the windows 
through the rooms and over the transoms drove the hot air out of 
the halls through the outer doors, which always stood open because 
the springs proved worthless. Nor was he on the grounds at the 
time of the Inaugural, March 17, 1869. Yet these incidents be- 
came as real to him as if he had lived through them himself. He 
was, however, a member of the famous baseball team that played 
Boone, Nevada, and other towns; the team that with Tom Thomp- 
son as captain, Cessna at third base, and Stanton as short stop, won 
the right to the name of "The Champions." He was one of those 
who as the institution grew withdrew from the Philomathean Liter- 
ary Society and helped organize the Crescent Society for men only. 
He took part in debating but was especially interested in oratory 
and declamation. Those were the days when he and John Stevens, 
J. K. Macomber, S. H. Dickey, Millikan Stalker and Dr. Cessna 
crossed words on questions of the day. "In those early days we 



26 EDGAR WILLIAMS STANTON 

students were all Philomatheans," he wrote. "We met in the old 
college chapel and conducted our exercises. We read our essays, de- 
livered our orations, warmed ourselves up in debate and ended the 
evening with a business session remarkable mainly for the number 
of points of order raised and the unimportant character of the busi- 
ness transacted." 

To Alt. Dietz went the honor of being the first student to arrive 
upon the campus; to ]\Ir. Stanton went the honor of receiving the 
first degree ever issued by the institution. On graduation day, Dr. 
Welch intended to present to each student individually his diploma, 
from memory calling him by name. As he looked at the twenty-six 
before him and the names slipped, his eyes rested for a moment 
upon Mr. Stanton and he called his name first. 

Of W. C. Ha\^vard, a classmate, Mr. Stanton once wrote, 
"There comes before me the picture of the years when as college 
chums we were inseparable, — we studied together, worked in the 
same office, occupied the same room in the old Main through the 
long winter vacations, walked, talked, planned for the future; knew 
each other as an open book, and grew to be friends, not for an hour 
or a year, but for life." It was thus in the intimate relations of the 
class room, the hours of compulsory work, the hours of recitation 
and social life, the Sundays Avith Bible class at nine, singing at 
eleven, compulsory services under Dr. Welch's direction at three 
and prayer meeting at seven, that were formed the threads of associa- 
tions which bound together the members of the class of 72 into that 
loyal band who returned year after year and who could make more 
noise than any senior class as they gave their yell composed on the 
spur of the moment, sometime during the nineties, by Mrs. Ida Smith 
Noyes of 74, wife of Laverne W. Noyes of 72. 

"Hip Rah! Rip Rah! 

Who are we? 

First and best of I. S. C. 

Who? Who? 

Seventv-two." 



TEACHER 27 



TEACHER 



From the beginning of his official connection with the college, Mr. 
Stanton's work is divided into that of teacher and of administrator. 
On the day of his graduation, November 12, 1872, he was elected 
an instructor in mathematics and English composition ; in Novem- 
ber, 1874 he was made Assistant Professor of Mathematics, under 
the direction of the Professor of Mathematics and Civil Engineering 
but having complete charge of the department of mathematics ; on 
November 14, 1877, he was advanced to Professor of Mathematics 
and twelve days later, was chosen Professor of Political Economy 
in addition to that of mathematics. The Professorship of Mathe- 
matics he held for the remainder of his life and that of Political 
Economy until May, 1906. On November 16, 1874, he was elected 
Secretary of the Board of Trustees, a position held until the abolish- 
ment of the Board and the establishment of the State Board of 
Education in January, 1909 when he was made Secretary of the 
College. In September, 1903, Dr. Storms placed him as the first 
Dean of the Junior College. In July, 1913, he was made Vice 
President. Four times he served officially as Acting-President: 
from November, 1890 to February, 1891, during the interim be- 
tween the presidencies of Dr. Chamberlain and Dr. Beardshear; 
from August, 1902, upon the death of Dr. Beardshear, until Sep- 
tember, 1903, the beginning of the presidency of Dr. Storms; dur- 
ing 1910, 1911, and 1912 between the presidencies of Dr. Storms 
and Dr. Pearson; and from April, 1917 through November, 1918 
during the World War. At the time of his death he was Professor 
of Mathematics, Vice President and Secretary of the College, and 
Dean of the Junior College. 

Mr. Stanton's contact with the students came through his posi- 
tions either as teacher or as Dean of the Junior College, or in his 
capacity as Acting-President. "In my view," he wrote, "the student 
is about all of our college life. Faculty, buildings, courses of study, 
laboratories, equipment, the college as a whole, exist that his best 
interests may be advanced. Our most urgent problems center about 
him. They relate to his welfare and their truest solution can be 



28 EDGAR WILLIAMS STANTON 

reached only when we make all our efforts bend to the one grand 
purpose of helping him into a manhood which, physically, intellectu- 
ally, and morally is of genuine strength and worth." 

When he began his teaching in the spring of 1873 [the college 
year began then in the spring and ended in the fall and the long 
vacations were in the winter], there were only 17 on the college 
faculty; in 1920, the last year of his service, there were 455. In 
1873, there were 263 students; in 1920, 4859. In the early days 
we find him teaching a variety of subjects: algebra, geometry, trig- 
onometry, analytic geometry, differential and integral calculus, draw- 
ing and mechanics, and until 1892 he carried a course in commercial 
law. In political economy he had classes in the principles of eco- 
nomics, history of economics, and principles of socialism. For a 
number of years at the demand of the students he taught a special 
class in economics, which for lack of a better hour came at seven 
o'clock in the morning. In 1891, when the students of the college 
numbered 425, an instructor in mathematics was added ; in June, 
1920, there were fourteen full time and two half time teachers in 
mathematics. In 1902, Dr. Benjamin F. Hibbard came to the col- 
lege as instructor in political economy and in 1906 was placed in 
charge of the department; in June, 1920, there were 7 full time 
teachers in the Economics department. Mr. Stanton taught his last 
class in political economy in 1902, and in mathematics in 1910, after 
which his full attention was given to administrative duties. 

It was a peculiar variety of courses that IVIr. Stanton was given 
in those early days when teachers in our colleges dealt with more 
than one field. He realized the value of each, and to him they held 
something of the same importance in a technical school. "In the 
school of technology," he wrote, "the mathematical work is subject 
to the severe and constant test of its use in the applied sciences; this 
constant application reacts to awaken interest, stimulate investigation, 
vitalize the work of the recitation room, and to give serious meaning 
to what the student might otherwise regard as purposeless drudgery. 
The knowledge which mathematics conveys is to find concrete ex- 
pression in engineering structures, in dynamos and motors, systems of 



TEACHER 29 

water supply, electric railways and vast systems of transportation, 
while in other lines of applied science mathematics is the indispensa- 
ble instrument of advanced study and research." While the prin- 
ciples of economics, as he saw them, were as true and fundamental as 
the principles of mathematics, they met with the same tests, but not 
until the student had reached the school of life, "Many an engineer- 
ing or agricultural project developed along thoroughly mathematical 
or scientific lines is a failure because the project is not economically 
sound." The student thus was soon made to feel how vitally alive 
were the studies which he taught. 

Mr. Stanton made thorough preparation for every recitation. He 
had a keen, penetrating mind which enabled him to make an exact 
and impartial analysis of facts ; he could strip the question at issue 
of all that might be superfluous and then having accurately classified 
the things which were basic he could reverse the process and proceed 
with the constructive side. He wished the student to become master 
of this same power. To this end he taught the student that the 
essentials of the ideal explanation of an algebraic example were that, 
"1. It should be directed to the exposition of principles. 2. It should 
make use of only such portion of the algebraic work upon the board 
as is necessary to the realization of this purpose. All minor matters 
of detail should be omitted. 3. Its English should be clear and 
strong. Every point should be concisely yet fully stated." Mr. 
Stanton was author of a text in Algebra used for twenty years in 
the review classes and preparatory work. 

His high standard of individual recitation work as he expressed 
it was based upon the belief that, "The teacher must endeavor to 
lead the student to a mastery of principles, skill in the handling of 
equations and finally up to that plane where he will be an enthusi- 
astic, independent, successful worker in the higher mathematical 
fields. To even approximate his ideal, will require of the instructor 
tenacity of purpose, infinite patience, care, energy, courage, unselfish- 
ness, and devotion to the interests of his students." 

Every student in the class room was a separate personality to Mr. 
Stanton and the development of character and good citizenship in 



30 EDGAR WILLIAMS STANTON 

each student his highest ideal as a teacher. "The ultimate goal," he 
held, "of all education is the making of men and women of such 
intellectual fiber and moral worth as shall prepare them in training 
and purpose to perform aright all the duties that go with citizenship 
in a free industrial republic." 

Again he wrote, "There are many judgment days; this institu- 
tion will come to its judgment day in each of your lives. This 
faculty, these associates of yours, these activities in which you and 
other students engage, this atmosphere which as members of this col- 
lege community you and I help to create shall stand some day be- 
fore the bar of your maturer judgment. That man or woman, in 
faculty or outside, who has helped you into a larger life intellec- 
tually, who has stayed your hands in the hour of discouragement, 
who has given you vision of the high and holy things that, wrought 
into character, make for eternal life, and who perhaps has even 
helped to lead you into the service of the Master, you will esteem, 
revere, love. Such of the college activities as have strengthened and 
developed your physical manhood or womanhood, at the same time 
that they have brought out the best that is in you in intellect and 
heart, you will commend and write clear and strong, with generous 
approval, into the tablets of your memory ; and if this college en- 
vironment, this college atmosphere shall have filled the deeper cur- 
rents of your life with holy purpose and given you strength for its 
accomplishment, this campus shall be to you forever a sacred spot." 

A student was never in his class without feeling his high ideals ; 
he was peculiarly able to illustrate a point in mathematics with 
facts that had an ethical bearing. The students knew that Mr. 
Stanton was reaching the essentials of life, and that the illustrations 
might have a moral uplife. "This old world of ours," he said, "is 
so full of the mighty majestic truths of the Creator. They are 
everywhere, written in the rocks, in the soil of our fields, in the clouds 
and the sky, in the on-going of our civilization, and, above all, in the 
hearts of men. Now and then we come up against one of these 
truths in a way that makes it ours for all time." He knew these 
truths; he recognized when they were met even in the demonstra- 



TEACHER 31 

tion of a somewhat dry mathematical problem. The students knew 
that they would never have a sermon in the classroom ; they expected 
every hour enlivened with pecuharly vivid illustrations. 

The educational psychologist emphasizes interest. One remark- 
able point in Mr. Stanton's teaching was his ability to develop eager 
enthusiasm in his classes, but this was never done at the expense of 
hard work. He knew with a sort of psychological second sense if 
a single student was not following and would go back to bring that 
individual up to the "firing line." He said, "It requires on the part 
of the teacher a high quality of good judgment to tell when and 
how and to what extent to help a student. Ill-judged help brings 
weakness; wisely administered help results like the doctor's tonic in 
added strength and vigor. It is exercise, in this case, mental exer- 
cise, however, that counts ; not that of the bleacher kind that looks 
on while a classmate does the brain work or a teacher solves the 
problems. The grandest help to the student is that which leads him 
to help himself, which stirs his mind to action, makes him self-reliant 
and leads him into the joy of independent and masterful thinking. 
The majority of the class should look upward not downward. It 
is the warm sunshine of earnest endeavor which gives the best con- 
ditions for growth. I believe most heartily in keeping the class 
under high pressure. Like intensive farming it is the most profit- 
able." 

Those who are not teaching often question how a man can de- 
vote his life to the teaching field. In his own words Mr. Stanton 
tells us: "It is one of the blessed compensations which come to 
the true teacher, who, at the sacrifice of life's energies, has led the 
sometimes unwilling feet of youth up the toilsome path to the vic- 
tory crowned summit, that the appreciation of the worth of that 
leadership by those that follow will deepen with the years. Nor 
do teachers readily put out of their lives their former pupils. It is 
said that we come to hate those we injure and love those we help. 
The last half of the saying is certainly true. The ideal instructor 
teaches with heart as well as mind. He puts his soul into his work. 
He lives close to the needs of his pupils. He feels the sting of their 



32 EDGAR WILLIAMS STANTON 

defeat and the joy of their victory. He gives them place among the 
things that he loves, and in touch with the vigor and sunshine and 
springlike growth of their young lives, he renews his own youth and 
with braver heart and firmer resolution himself graduates into the 
possibilities of more efficient service." 

The students of later years knew him as the Dean of the Junior 
College. The personal contact with students which came for years 
through the class-room was simply transferred. The office created 
placed under his direction the classification of all of the freshmen 
and sophomores regardless of the course of study which they might 
choose ; it placed them under his supervision while they were laying 
the common foundations of each course ready for specialization dur- 
ing the junior and senior years when they were under the direct 
advice of the Dean of the special division. 

The office involved the whole question of classification of these 
students, which in turn hinged upon the question of admission 
standards to the institution. For years Mr. Stanton was a member 
of the intercollegiate committee that formulated the entrance re- 
quirements of the colleges of the state. "We have here at Ames," he 
wrote, "a plan peculiarly our own. It has the same purpose, how- 
ever, as the others. It seeks to insure to the student a chance to do 
thorough work by starting him at a point where he can handle him- 
self to advantage. It admits a graduate of an accredited high school 
without examination. It aims to determine at an early date by 
means of review classes of varying lengths of time the adequacy of 
his preparation and then to make such assignments as he can reason- 
ably hope to carry with success. I am firm in the conviction that 
it is the fairest and most efficient plan of all those suggested. It 
does away with the harshness and possible injustice of the entrance 
examination, yet it saves in large measure, the waste of time and 
the certain failure that would result from his going forward with 
insufficient preparation." 

The office of Dean was never an administrative one in the sense 
of a means to accomplish certain details; it dealt with the human 
individual problem through and through. The student with a prob- 



TEACHER 33 

lem either of insufficient preparation or of undetermined purpose 
in life received always the most careful personal attention. Classifi- 
cation meant facing the student right for the entire term, possibly 
for life, and it, therefore, deserved the deepest consideration. 

The Dean's office kept careful watch of the term's work for each 
student. If a student were delinquent in any studies and the case 
was serious enough, Dean Stanton held personal consultation with 
him and if necessary with the parents. If the student was doing 
especially noteworthy work, he was as likely to receive a summons 
and a word of praise. All alike came to know Dean Stanton's ideal 
student: the clean, wholesome, honest youth who with genuine 
depth of purpose became right spirited toward his work, and who, 
with a heart full of longing for a higher intellectual and moral life, 
became self-reliant through a thorough mastery of his chosen field. 

He wanted the student to keep ready for the "firing line." "In 
student life," he wrote, "one has but to yield a little and the forces 
that pull downward gain in strength, and exultant over one victory 
are eager for the second attack. I have met young men in my office — 
happily only a few — who have told me the sad story of the increas- 
ing power of temptation and the lessening power of resistance, until 
they have been forced to admit that instead of conquerors they are 
conquered. There is but one point of supreme advantage, and that 
is where you are masters of yourselves, masters of your work. The 
price of such a victory is eternal vigilance. If we are not up on the 
fighting line let us move up to the front." And again he said in an 
address to freshmen, "We do that which we want to do rather than 
that which we ought to do. We make out, for instance, a schedule 
of work. We dislike some of the studies on the schedule so we 
neglect them and put the accent upon the others, and the world goes 
wrong with us. We subdue ourselves, put ourselves in the right 
attitude toward our work as a whole, and the Registrar stamps O. K. 
on our standing sheet. There is the conquering of self, the lining 
up to the demands of duty, and there is the opportunity of learning 
the how and winning the victory. Because the road is sometimes 
difficult and progress slow, there is no reason for discouragement in 
lines of human effort." 



34 EDGAR WILLIAMS STANTON 

Many a student who entered his office, when he turned upon him 
with that disarming smile which put him at his ease, and the greet- 
ing "Now tell me the whole story" which tended toward frankness, 
knew that he had in Dean Stanton a friend who would give him a 
square deal. Every case was a special case and at the same time a 
precedent ; in his ideal of absolute fairness, the decision must stand 
not just for the one perhaps to be reversed for the next, but what 
must be decided for the one must hold for the dozen to follow. 
Dean Stanton believed in the value of a vacation for some, and that 
the taxpayer's money should not be wasted upon others. There were 
many students set right in his office without drastic action ; there 
w^ere many who as a last resort were sent home. Some of these very 
students who were sent home have since become the most loyal sup- 
porters of the college, honoring the institution for not tolerating them 
in their attitude and crediting it with their ultimate success in life. 
One student whom he could not influence was given a vacation from 
which he returned to graduate as an A. No. 1 student; another 
upon whom he apparently could make no impression, some ten years 
later had a change of heart, confessed in a letter and sent money to 
make good the things he had stolen while in college. 

Students came with problems of every kind: some were rooming 
problems; some resulted from being unwilling "to let the grass 
grow between Ames and Boone"; others Avere family troubles; still 
others were financial. He listened and helped within his power, and 
if the case were financial and urgent and the student w^orthy he 
gave him personal aid, and so good was his judgment of character 
that never once did he lose. He considered loaning to worthy stu- 
dents a safe investment. 

So personal was every case that came under his consideration that 
he was never willing to send out stereotyped letters ; no two students 
received the same letter; each had its characteristic ring: "I beg 
your attention for a moment. The reports of your instructor show 
that you are not passing all of the subjects on your schedule. There 
is yet time in all probability to make good on these deficiencies. If 
within the reach of possibility, you should put your lowest grade so 



TEACHER 35 

far above the passing mark as to make it easy to see daylight between 
them. No standing should be allowed to remain near the danger 
line. Especially should you see to it that the ten hours rule does 
not affect you. If there is any doubt about it, remove that doubt 
now. The right use of time and energy can make what seems im- 
possible possible. Make sure of a good record, and the term will end 
satisfactorily to you and everybody here, and all will be happy." If 
the questions that arose were of general nature, he consulted with 
the best students, but they knew that he would face the responsi- 
bility of sorting that material and putting it into place so that he 
himself could be held in the decision to the strictest account. "The 
forces that beat against a man," he said, "are in a sense outside of 
him. They do not make the final decision. That is rendered by 
the man himself in the God given freedom of that inner sanctuary 
to which no outside party is admitted." The blame for what was 
done never was put by him upon the shoulders of others. 

Dean Stanton was unalterably opposed to hazing. "It was as 
lonely a boy as this world ever saw who rode over those hills to his 
first semester's w^ork away from home," he wrote. "That day 
stamped itself in memory, but on the same tablet were written the 
names of those generous hearted boys whose warm hand clasp and 
genuine human interest put even homesickness to flight." To him 
hazing was cowardly; the few attacked by the many were always 
at a serious disadvantage. And he knew personally of cases of life- 
long injuries and even death resulting from hazing; it was to him 
that the parents of boys who were hazed came. He felt his per- 
sonal responsibility to know that the boy who came to Ames should 
be free from such unfair treatment. He was opposed to freshman 
caps only because he feared they might lead to cases of hazing; the 
class-scrap, he did not oppose, if it was handled under the strict 
rules of sportsmanship. "Good-fellowship is one of the cherished 
ideals of I. S. C." 

He was as unalterably opposed to the student smoking. He knew 
that the cigarette often became the master of the student and de- 
feated him in his attempt to gain a mastery over himself. It was 



36 EDGAR WILLIAMS STANTON 

not logical that while a student wished to gain control over his 
muscles for an athletic event he should be prohibited the right to 
smoke, and as soon as he turned to the hard mental task of com- 
pleting a semester of work at the end of the football season, he 
should see no harm in it. 

For a number of years Air. Stanton was Chairman of the Frater- 
nity Committee. He was a supporter of fraternities because they 
as organized groups, bound together by high ideals, could be appealed 
to by the college authorities for support in the highest undertakings. 

He was a believer in a good social time in college life, but he be- 
lieved in a regulated social time. The week nights were sacred to 
study. He did not believe in studying on Sunday, but he often said 
that it was a greater sin to come to class on Monday with unpre- 
pared lessons. If the students could hold a high standard of class-room 
work, many of the minor details of college life would be settled 
satisfactorily. Work first and then plenty of good wholesome play 
was a motto he applied religiously to his own life. Coeducation was 
not to be feared if the spirit which should pervade the college could 
be kept right. It dignified student life that each individual student 
had the power to add in material degree to the building up of a 
spirit which should be the safe guard of all that was best in institu- 
tional life. 

All student activities had his loyal support. Many letters from 
alumni show how much it had meant to them as students to have 
him always present when the debate or the oratorical contest was on, 
or when the stock judging team returned year after year from its 
victories. "Stantie" as he was familiarly known by the students, 
was there for the "Pep" meetings and a regular attendant at the 
track meets, the baseball games, the tennis matches and the football 
games. "Carry the colors to victory this afternoon and tomorrow, 
and as a college let us see to it that no stain rests on the victorious 
colors." Many a team he followed on its trip to Iowa City, Des 
Moines, Lincoln, or Omaha. The technique of baseball and tennis 
he knew from experience on the field or the court; the other events 
he followed with as keen an interest. He represented the college 



TEACHER 37 

in the Missouri Valley Athletic Conference and for some time was 
Secretary of the Conference. 

He believed in the daily and the Sunday chapel as a college insti- 
tution ; he often spoke before the meetings of the Christian associa- 
tions ; for years he taught a student Bible class. In fact there is 
scarcely a student activity with which he was not in close touch and 
sympathy. 

Mr. Stanton worked out carefully the principles for the manage- 
ment of the Gurdon Wattles Student Loan Fund which was placed 
in his care. In answer to a letter of inquiry from another institution, 
he summarizes the rules governing it. "The rules take the fact 
that it is a limited sum into account. Here are some of the chief 
points in my management of it : 

"1. I loan only to junior and senior men. In this way I come 
to know well the men who want loans, then, too, the loans are for 
a shorter time than they would be if freshmen and sophomores were 
allowed to borrow from the fund. 

"2. Scholarship, general reputation and habits that touch upon 
moral fibre, and the student's expense account are carefully con- 
sidered. 

"3. As far as I can I try to find out whether the applicant has a 
sense of financial responsibility. Many young men are good as the 
world goes, but have no idea of putting themselves to much incon- 
venience in paying their debts. I rule out smokers, and all those 
having extravagent tendencies which show they are not given to 
economy. I reserve the fund almost entirely for young men who 
cannot borrow elsewhere. I find on the whole that this class is 
reliable, and if I am careful, the simple personal security is as good 
as a mortgage on property. The essential thing is to get hold of an 
honest fellow and then not weaken his resolution by looking to an- 
other source than pure honesty for payment of the loan. 

"4. The notes bear 5% interest while the student is in college, 
6% from that time until the note is due, and 8% on deferred pay- 
ments. The notes are made payable as soon after graduation as it 
seems reasonable to expect that the student can earn money and make 



38 EDGAR WILLIAMS STANTON 

payment. Sometimes several notes are given, and made payable at 
different times. The total amount loaned to each student does not, 
in general, exceed $250, and it is considered that a year after 
graduation is a safe time in which to close the matter out entirely. 

"5. If the notes are not paid, I investigate the case carefully and 
in most worthy cases give an extension of time, but where I find 
that the parties are able to pay, and are selfishly delaying payment, 
I keep eternally after them. 

"There is no idea of charity in the fund. Experience has taught 
me that loans on such a basis are, in the long run, of no real help to 
the borrower." 

In 1915, Mr. Stanton together with General James Rush Lincoln, 
Herman Knapp, A. A. Bennett, and L. H. Pammel received a cer- 
tificate for twenty-five or more years of service to the institution. 
At that time he responded in part with these words of faith: "This 
college has a past which does it credit. It comes back to some of 
us to-day freighted with hallowed memories of men and women, 
unselfish, far-sighted, devoted men and women who gave their lives 
that this institution might become the college of to-day. To us that 
past is peopled too with the bright and joyous faces of a vast host 
of boys and girls who made ready within these college walls for 
the splendid service they have since rendered to state and nation. 
Pile the wealth of this world mountain high and how little it can 
count compared with the privilege of living for a quarter of a cen- 
tury in touch with the ambitious young life of the college, enjoying 
its friendships, thrilling with pride at the achievements of its students, 
and each day coming into a fuller appreciation of the service this 
institution is capable of rendering to the State. Out of that past I 
say has come the college of to-day, throbbing with a new energy 
born of the encouragement of a growth in these later years that 
knows no parallel. I find it difficult to make myself believe that all 
I see around me on this campus has grown up under my very eyes. 
But glorious as has been that past, as lovingly as it rests upon the 
thought of us veterans here this morning, we turn with you to the 
future, greeting it with a glad heart and a hopeful courage. How 



TEACHER 39 

rich in promise it is. No fairer land was ever warmed into abund- 
ant life by the rays of a May sun than this beautiful state of Iowa. 
It is great to-day; it is to be greater to-morrow. A multitude of 
forces are uniting to give it development. As it comes into its own, 
so shall this college come into its own. Iowa is to build into the 
greater through the building of its industries and by a people of 
intellectual and moral fiber, and if this institution is true to its trust, 
it shall stand in the midst of that builded state as one of the chief 
agencies in its making and one of the favored legatees of its enlarged 
industrial life. This college shall serve the people in the lowliest 
fields of labor; it shall be the leader in the higher realms of indus- 
trial progress. It shall be genuine through and through. The vision 
is the same to-day as when this college was first dedicated to its 
useful mission. It is wrought out in the same God fearing spirit. 
'God give us' — as said its first president at the close of his Inaugural 
Address, 'faithfulness and devotion. God give us mutual confidence 
and mutual helpfulness. Thus shall we be able to garner and con- 
secrate all the elements of strength of this beloved college, and thus 
with the great Father's blessing will the rolling years bring them 
full harvest of fruits.' " 

Mr. Stanton was beloved by the alumni. There are reasons for 
this. A classmate, Mrs. Macomber, after speaking of his loyalty 
to his friends and the institution, said of him, "Presidents have come 
and gone in the half century of life of the college, but he has been 
here alwa^'s, constant, devoted, ever working for the college. It is 
no wonder that he stood out, that he was first to be remembered 
by students who had gone away from the campus, for he exemplified 
the spirit of the institution. In far away Tibet, I came upon an 
alumnus whose first word after greetings were over, was about Mr. 
Stanton. In Mukden, in Europe, in far away sections of our 
country, wherever alumni met alumni, they talked first of this great 
man." 

With a constructive sympathy such as was meant by the old 
Greek word sympatheia, Mr. Stanton followed the alumni into the 
world. If he heard of births, marriages, deaths, or special successes 



40 EDGAR WILLIAMS STANTON 

attained by any member of the alumni, a letter or a telegram fol- 
lowed even though the news had reached him very indirectly. From 
coast to coast he was called to attend special alumni meetings as 
the guest of honor. In 1904, he was made the Honorary Presi- 
dent of the Alumni Association for life. As early as 1886, the 
minutes of the Board of Trustees contain the record that the alumni 
desired him as their candidate for the presidency of the college. By 
1902, he seemed to them the one logical man for the position. He 
was himself never a candidate for any office nor did he ever lead 
any faction in the institution. Through all of the political exigencies 
of the institution he never harbored personal grudges. Anything that 
injured himself, he got over quickly; but any injury to the institu- 
tion, he could never forget. 

The organization of the alumni bureau was heartily endorsed by 
him ; he believed in all county or city organizations which would 
strengthen the alumni in their aid of the college. Air. Stanton 
personally conducted the campaign for funds for the Alumni Build- 
ing. He always looked after the entire management of the building. 
To all such enterprises, he gave liberal financial aid. 

During the war when the influenza epidemic attacked the student 
body, and the doctors told him that no nurses could be obtained, he 
called alumni over the phone in all parts of the state, and the next 
day there were over fifty nurses ready for duty. 

The approval of the alumni in any action taken by the institu- 
tion meant more to him than the approval of any other body. To 
one of the alumni he wrote, "It is after all the love of friends that 
makes life worth the living, and I am very grateful that the good 
Father has given me so many." During his last illness while in 
New York, when he thought his son, Dr. E. MacDonald Stanton, 
would not consent to his returning to the semi-centennial celebration 
in 1920, he dictated the following message to the alumni: "It is not 
granted unto me to be with you at this semi-centennial celebration 
of the college. I want, however, to give you a greeting and a chal- 
lenge. You live in a world of limitless opportunities. May the 
good Father so direct you that each golden hour may be full of the 



ADMINISTRATOR 41 

joy of living. Live for that which is true and worth while. Love 
God and love his children. Be kind to the needy and the sick. In 
each human life there is a touch of the Divine. Help to give it 
strength. Love the dear old College. It has a high and holy mis- 
sion. Help it into a maximum of usefulness. Upon it and upon 
each one of you may there rest now and evermore the benediction of 
Almighty God." 

It was, nevertheless, granted to him to be present at the semi- 
contennial celebration though he was too ill to attend many of the 
meetings. He attended the '84 dinner given by Cuthbert Vincent 
where he was guest of honor ; he gave a talk followed by a hearty 
hand shake and a genial greeting to each. Mr. Vincent presented 
him with a bouquet of roses closing his eloquent words of love, honor, 
and esteem with, "though these roses may fade and wither, our mem- 
ory of you and your work for us will ever remain fresh and fragrant." 
A special certificate was granted in the name of the college in recogni- 
tion of his fifty years of service at Ames. He received a great ovation 
when he appeared on the stage to receive it in his last public appear- 
ance, and showed his appreciation in that great smile so familiar to 
thousands of Ames men and women. 

ADMINISTR.ATOR 

By March 7, 1870, two days after he arrived upon the campus, Mr. 
Stanton was hard at work in the Cashier's office, and by April 7, he 
had put in ninety-nine hours of "Labor" vmder the efficient direction 
of Professor Jones. While instructor in mathematics, after his gradu- 
ation, he continued work in the Cashier's office. In November 1874, 
when Professor Jones left to enter a little later into his years of ser- 
vice as head of the department of mathematics at Cornell University, 
Mr, Stanton was made Secretary of the Board of Trustees. 

As Secretary of the Board of Trustees, Mr. Stanton kept an account 
with the Treasurer of the college, charging him with all money paid 
to him from whatever source and crediting him with the amount 
paid out by him upon the order of the Board of Audit. As a joint 
member of the Board of Audit with the President of the college, it 



42 EDGAR WILLIAMS STANTON 

was his duty to examine all bills presented for payment and if found 
valid, properly payable from its funds, and in accordance with and 
not in excess of the appropriations made by the Board of Trustees, 
they were ordered paid by the Treasurer. It was his duty also as a 
member of the Board of Audit to thoroughly examine the books of 
the Treasurer once a month, the books of the one office checking those 
of the other. He early formulated the Rules for Auditing as now 
used by the college. 

As Secretary of the Board of Trustees, he kept in his office a com- 
plete list of all the land owned by the college. The Land Agent and 
later the Financial Agent in charge of the 204,000 acres of land or 
its proceeds granted to the college by Congress in 1862, were required 
to account for all this land to him, and he in turn gave account to 
the State Treasurer. He was thus enabled from the accounts kept in 
his office to give the Board of Trustees, at any time, full informa- 
tion regarding the condition of the endowment fund, while his books 
constituted a check upon the accuracy of the accounts of the different 
officers dealing with the fund. 

With his hands so close to the pulse beat of every financial transac- 
tion, much of the book-keeping system established at the college is the 
result of his experiences. He started many things which with the 
growth of the institution passed on into the hands of others for ful- 
fillment, as for example he was first Chairman of the Purchasing 
Committee. When one of these offices passed on to another, the Board 
suggested that the new man visit other institutions before settling 
down to his work at Ames. Mr. Stanton's only comment to him 
was: "You had better think out the best thing to do and do it your 
own way so that it will meet the needs of our institution." Many 
times after visiting other institutions Dr. Stanton's comment would 
be, "We better do it after all the Ames way." 

Ex-Governor Gue, who himself was so intimately connected with 
the early financial history of the college, says in his History of the 
State of Iowa published in 1903: "For over thirty years Professor 
Stanton has been intimately associated with the financial and general 
business management of the college with its large endowment arising 



ADMINISTRATOR 43 

from the Government Land Grant, and it may be truly said that to 
his fidelity, unusual business capacity and intimate knowledge of the 
aims of the college, the institution is more largely indebted for its re- 
markable development than to any man now living." 

It will be readily seen from the above statement of duties that Mr. 
Stanton from the very early days was familiar wMth every financial 
transaction of the institution. He knew the details of the manage- 
ment of the farm, the engineering projects, the ideals and growth of 
every department, made all contracts, and was fully in touch with all 
of the funds of the institution. When the statement was often made 
that "The college could run itself," he knew something of the faithful 
labor necessary upon the part of some to keep the machinery of the 
institution in proper running order. He knew too that every day 
would bring its new problems and that the settling of many of these 
meant the shaping of the ideals of the college. 

In the early seventies, the defalcation of the State Treasurer, at 
whose trial he gave lengthy testimony and which unfortunately in- 
volved the members of the Board of Trustees finally leading to their 
discharge, taught Mr, Stanton a lesson which he never forgot. The 
fact basic in English Common Law that things which could not be 
done directly could not be done indirectly was thenceforth made a 
working principle with him. He would summarize a situation, strip 
it of the scaffolding and make a clean cut statement of the essentials 
of a proposition which struck home to the members of the Board, It 
mattered not when or by whom he was asked regarding certain ques- 
tion ; his remarkable memory enabled him to marshall the facts, and 
the answer to the question was sure to be always the same. He 
always kept in mind the clear distinction between the support fund 
allowed by the Morrill Act, which forbade its use for building or 
maintenance of building purposes, and the building funds allowed by 
the state. It was not until about 1900 that the state also allowed 
the college funds for support. 

For years the annual Board meeting followed the commencement 
exercises, and when other men, out from the duties of a term and the 
strenuous days incident upon graduation, started on their vacation,, he 



44 EDGAR WILLIAMS STANTON 

turned to the strain of a three day session of the Board. Such periods 
as well as those when the biennial reports were written meant eighteen 
hours of work a day for days. Mr. Stanton had enormous working 
power. 

As Secretary of the Board of Trustees, Mr. Stanton transmitted 
his first biennial report to the legislature in 1875; it was the sixth 
biennial report of the college; the last transmitted by him was in 1909, 
the twenty-third report of the institution. During this time Mr. 
Stanton became expert in the preparation of the bills affecting the 
college which were to come before the legislature. Legislators knew 
that he could be thoroughly trusted, and in crucial moments it was 
often due to his persuasive logic that the large appropriations were 
granted which have enabled the Iowa State College to become the 
pride of the state of Iowa. When the struggle was on for the funds 
with which to build the Central Building, which replaced the "Old 
Main", destroyed by fire, one of the legislative committee said, 
"Stanton, if you can show one good reason why the new building 
should have a dome and a beautiful front entrance, I will vote for 
it." Mr. Stanton replied, "When we meet in the morning, I will 
give you the reason." The next morning when the committee came 
to order, the chairman turned to Mr. Stanton and said, "Stanton, 
have you your reason?" "I have, Mr. Chairman," Mr. Stanton re- 
plied "If you do not do it, in five years, 3^ou will wish you had; in 
ten years, you will be sorry ; in twenty years, it will be a shame ; and 
in twenty-five years, it will be a burning shame." The chairman 
replied, "Stanton, you may have your bonnet." The committee was 
won over. 

It can be truthfully said that he trained the incoming Boards as 
well as the incoming officers of the institution. Many times they 
did not agree with him and became greatly annoyed at his insistence 
on keeping the letter of the law, but invariably the Boards and even 
the outgoing Presidents of the College thanked him for his guidance. 
Dr. Stanton had the happy faculty of working with men, not under 
them nor over them. On June 20, 1909, the mintues of the Board of 
Trustees, as the last act of the Board, read : "At this the final meet- 



ADMINISTRATOR 45 

ing of this Board of Trustees, we wish to express our appreciation of 
the faithfulness and efficiency of E. W. Stanton, Secretary. For over 
a third of a century he has served in this capacity with singular devo- 
tion to the welfare of the college and its manifold interests. His in- 
timate knowledge of the organic laws of the institution, its traditions, 
and the scope of its work ; his interpretation of the Acts of the Legis- 
lature from time to time, have been of inestimable value to the Board 
in the performance of its duty and it is our desire on this occasion 
to express our appreciation in this formal manner and to have this ex- 
pression spread upon the minutes of the Board." 

The resolutions adopted by the State Board of Education, Novem- 
ber 4, 1920, in speaking of his work as Secretary say, "He was an 
excellent business man. In his capacity as Secretary of the College, 
he organized the institution on its financial side; and he did a well- 
nigh perfect piece of work." 

As teacher and administrator, Mr. Stanton's point of view of the 
college was not one-sided ; it was general and impartial. During the 
fifty years of his life at Ames there were many battles fought in the 
educational world. Science itself had to gain a foothold in institu- 
tions where the classical had always had full sway. Industrial science 
grew from infancy to its present position of trust, fighting each step 
as it advanced. He strenuously opposed all efforts, no matter what 
their source, which had for their object the reduction of the college 
to the position of a mere industrial or trade school. The Morrill 
Act endowed, "Colleges for the benefit of Agriculture and the Me- 
chanic Arts." From the very first this was interpreted to embrace 
Agriculture, Engineering, Veterinary Science, Domestic Science, and 
the Sciences related to Industry. The laws both national and state 
provided for a broad and liberal education. In another part of the 
statute, it gave its own interpretation to this phase : "There shall be 
adopted and taught a broad, liberal and practical course of study in 
which the leading branches of learning shall relate to agriculture and 
the mechanic arts, and which shall also embrace such other branches 
of learning as will most practically and liberally educate the agricul- 
tural and industrial classes in the several pursuits and professions of 



46 EDGAR WILLIAMS STANTON 

life, including military tactics." Upon this interpretation was based 
his uncompromising stand for a broad education of both men and 
women having in mind always their future usefulness as citizens of 
their state and country. He was always found to be a staunch advo- 
cate of strong courses in English, literature, history, economics, and 
the modern languages. 

He was especially insistent upon an independent division for Indus- 
trial Science with its own degree as now found. Only by such a 
strong scientific basis could the institution serve the different indus- 
trial interests of the state. Botany, zoology, chemistry, physics, and 
mathematics should have at the head of each a scientist guarding the 
scientific standards of his field. Under him should be specialists sub- 
servient, it is true, to two masters — the scientific and the practical — 
but never carrying into the practical, methods that were unscientific. 
Thus he stood for strong central scientific departments, but within 
each, specialists to be directed by the technical departments whether 
Agricultural, Engineering, Home Economics, or Veterinary Medi- 
cine. "The scientist," he wrote, "should be broad enough to appre- 
ciate the element of legitimacy in the demands of the technical teach- 
ers and students, but should command for science itself, irrespective 
of its particular applications, the respect which is its due." 

Mr. Stanton stood for a five-fold development. He conceived the 
college to be composed of the present five equal divisions of Agricul- 
ture, Engineering, Veterinary Science, Domestic Science and Indus- 
trial Sciences. He also stood for the present administrative organi- 
zation of each of the divisions with its own Dean directly responsible 
to the President. 

It is difficult to realize what it meant either to him or to the insti- 
tution, to be so intimately connected with its history. Mr. Stanton's 
close connection with the students and their lives; his official capaci- 
ties in relation with the faculty of which he was the senior member 
for so many years; his intimate connection with the Board of 
Trustees; his position as Secretary of the college with the Board of 
Education; the trust placed in him by legislators and governors to 
whom he could truthfully say, "I know no politics but the needs of 



PRIVATE LIFE 47 

the institution ;" the years of devoted service during which he always 
fought for the institution, but never for himself; all of these make the 
college peculiarly a monument to his efforts, for in the shaping of its 
every ideal through the first fifty years of its history he had his share, 
and it was no little share. 

And through it all his modesty must be known, for otherwise his 
connection with the institution cannot be appreciated — that modesty 
which allowed him to put most of his business ability into the institu- 
tion, and with it many, many times, the last bit of working energy 
that was in him, until in later years, it came to be a question whether 
he should put more into the institution and live a shorter life, or re- 
tire, as his family and many friends wished him to do. Then came the 
World War, and the decision was made for him. He made the 
supreme sacrifice of his life for the institution by remaining at his 
post of duty. 

PRIVATE LIFE 

Although his collegiate activities were alwaj^s closest to his heart, 
Mr. Stanton did not neglect outside interests. He was a member of 
the Sons of the American Revolution, the Iowa Academy of Sciences, 
American Mathematical Society, the Mathematical Association of 
America, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, 
the Central Association of Science and Mathematics Teachers, the 
American Economic Association, the National Educational Associa- 
tion, and the State Historical Society of Iowa, of which he was 
curator. He was a member of the honorary fraternities of Phi Kappa 
Phi and Tau Beta Pi. 

In the town of Ames, he championed the things which would 
make a wholesome environment for the young people. He was one 
of the first to come forward with financial aid if civic improvements 
were needed. He was at one time a member of the Common Coun- 
cil and always took an active interest in the public school, the city 
library, the Social Service League and the Red Cross activities. 

Although the accumulation of wealth to him was secondary in im- 
portance, Mr. Stanton, dependent upon himself financially, early be- 



48 EDGAR WILLIAMS STANTON 

gan to save. With his first savings he bought land ; later he chose to 
invest his savings in young enterprises which he could watch per- 
sonally and look for results from the long run point of view. Such 
a policy brought him financial success. For years he was vice presi- 
dent and director of the Union National Bank of Ames and for 22 
continuous years was a director of the Valley National and the Valley 
Savings Banks of Des Moines, Iowa, As early as 1878 he was oflfered 
a banking position which paid more than his college salary and in 
the nineties was tendered the presidency of the Valley National Bank, 
Such recognition of his business ability as well as offers which came 
from time to time in recognition of his collegiate work, although 
more remunerative, were not favorably considered because of his grow- 
ing love and interest in the future of the Iowa State College. 

He was a member of the Congregational church but a supporter of 
all churches, giving his share to the building of each church erected 
in Ames, As men make intimate acquaintance with all truth slowly, 
so he knew that men come into the full knowledge of the Christian 
life slowly, and after gaining it, courage is required to hold fast to 
Christian principles. He lived in constant realization of the need 
of Christ's help. When the Kaiser made the bold statement that 
God was on their side at the time that the French and the English 
had their backs to the wall, after pacing the floor for awhile, he said, 
"Herman, God is not on the Kaiser's side, God is not on anybody's 
side in that way. He wants people to help themselves, the Bible so 
teaches us, and when we have helped ourselves, according to Christian 
principles, we are on God's great plane. If the United States and 
the Allies will build themselves up for the cause of humanity and 
liberty, and as God fearing people, they will put themselves on God's 
side, and God will be willing to welcome them." He was thus but 
applying to the nations his own personal religion. 

It was around the family hearth that Mr. Stanton's kindliness 
foiMid highest development and strongest expression. He was mar- 
ried February 22, 1877 to Margaret Price MacDonald, daughter of 
James MacDonaKl and Mary Grumman, pioneers whose ancestors had 
travelled the way from Scotland through New Jersey to Zanesville, 



PRIVATE LIFE 49 

Ohio. James MacDonald was a real pioneer having made several 
trips during the fifties to California. In the sixties he brought his 
family to Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, and there Margaret MacDonald 
graduated from the Seminary. She accepted in 1870 the position of 
preceptress and teacher of rhetoric and French at I. S. C. 

The marriage came as a surprise to those living with them in the 
"Old Main". Mrs. Welch wrote in December, 1876, "Mr. Welch 
was brighter than I. He guessed at once who it was when Mr. 
Stanton told him he was thinking of being married this winter. I 
heard him tell him that if he had a wife to choose he should want to 
secure either Miss MacDonald or Mattie Locke. Before Mr. 
Stanton told Mr. Welch I said, 'Mr. Stanton, is Miss MacDonald 
going to be married this winter? Mr. Stalker told Miss Locke she 
was but I do not believe it.' Mr. Stanton replied so quickly, 'Mr. 
Stalker didn't say anything to me about it.' 'Well,' I replied, 'it 
must be to you or Mr. Lee or to Mr. Stalker himself. She will 
make someone a mighty good wife.' " 

Mr. and Mrs. Stanton continued to live in the Main Building 
until 1879 when they moved into "The Maples," which had been 
Mr. Stanton's home during his college days and which now became 
his home for the remainder of his life. Mrs. Stanton resigned her 
position as preceptress in December, 1878 to take elifect the first of 
the following March. They had four children : Edwin MacDonald, 
who is a surgeon in Schenectady, New York ; Roger Williams, who 
died in infancy; Margaret Beaumont, who married John Emmett 
Kirshman of Lincoln, Nebraska ; and Edgar Williams, Jr., a civil 
engineer and rancher of Live Oak, California. Mrs. Stanton died 
July 25, 1895. 

In November, 1895, the new women's building was named 
Margaret Hall for Mrs. Stanton. As soon as Mr. Stanton heard of 
the action, he wrote the Board the following letter offering to present 
to the college chimes in her memory if they would furnish the tower 
and a clock: 



50 EDGAR WILLIAMS STANTON 

"To the Honorable Board of Trustees: 

"I have been informed by your committee of the action of the 
Board in giving to the new women's building the name of Margaret 
Hall. I cannot put in words my deep appreciation of the honor you 
thus pay to the memory of Mrs. Stanton. Mrs. Stanton loved this 
institution. She loved not only these grounds, these walks, these build- 
ings, but she loved the character making power which the college 
possesses. She especially appreciated the great work it has done for 
the young women of this state and there is no part of the noble pur- 
pose of this college with which she would have been more pleased to 
have her name associated than that which signifies the enrichment and 
ennoblement of the homes of the future. 

"By your action you have made this building for me a sacred bit 
of property. Around it will naturally gather the most hallowed mem- 
ories of my life. There is nothing which I can do to make it an 
attractive and beautiful home for the daughters of the State which I 
would not do. Since the suggestion that the friends of the college 
desired it named in memory of Mrs. Stanton was mentioned to 
me, there has grown up in my mind the desire to present to the build- 
ing, if it were given her name, a chime of bells. I wish that I were 
able without injury to other interests to do this and bear myself all 
the expense connected therewith. There is, however, the question 
of a tower in which to place the bells and the purchase of a clock 
which generally goes with them. I am told that in other institutions, 
students quite generally listen to the ringing of the chimes and that 
the feet of the stranger or the alumnus revisiting his college home 
are always stayed while the chimes are sounding. I would have our 
college chimes such that they will turn the thought of student and 
teacher for the moment from daily cares to holier thinking and be- 
come and remain a continuously ennobling influence in college life. 
I am, therefore, compelled to ask that the college shall furiu'sh the 
tower and purchase the clock. 

"Again I thank you for the tribute you have paid to the memory 
of her who in the earlier years of this institution worked with others 
for its upbuilding. If I could go into the home that was and tell her 



PRIVATE LIFE 51 

that this noble building had been given her name, I can imagine 
with what a pleasant smile of surprise, that anyone could have con- 
sidered her work worthy of such honor, she would have said, 'I thank 
them.' For her and for myself I thank you. 
"November 15, 1895. E. W. Stanton/' 

The thought was to erect the tower in connection with the build- 
ing which had just been named after her. Later in May, 1897, after 
Dr. Beardshear and Mr. Stanton had spent many hours of study, the 
present location was chosen. The chimes were obtained from John 
Taylor & Co., Loughborough, England. By a special act of Congress 
they were admitted free of duty. 

He was married December 21, 1899 to Julia Ann, daughter of 
Peter Wentch and Barbara Reitter, pioneers in Tama County, Iowa. 
Mrs. Stanton had graduated from L S. C. in 1888 and returned to 
teach in the mathematical department and to become his private secre- 
tary. They had one child, Barbara Stanton. Mrs. Stanton and the 
four children survive him. In his second marriage Mr. Stanton 
found the same strong helpful, unselfish companionship. She, too, was 
devoted to the institution. 

Mr. Stanton was devoted to his home. Generous, kindly, loving, 
sympathetic, he gave much. The doctrine of personal responsibility 
was carried far. He was trustful because he had infinite faith in the 
nobler impulses. He gave his confidence to the family and in return 
expected each individual to confide in him. He was alwaj's ready to 
advise but never dictated. If the children wanted anything they 
learned to present the reasons for it and to talk the matter over. The 
human-heartedness which made him so genuinely interested in the 
success of others made the desire for his approval keen in the heart 
of each child. 

His firm belief in education was exemplified in the encouragement 
which he gave to his children. His son Donald after taking his 
scientific degree at Ames graduated in medicine from the University 
of Pennsylvania; his daughter Margaret took advanced degrees in 
history and economics at the University of Wisconsin and in home 



52 EDGAR WILLIAMS STANTON 

economics at Columbia University; the son Edgar completed a year 
of graduate work in civil engineering at the University of Wisconsin. 
In 1908 he took into his home a niece, Mildred Potts, whom he also 
educated. Barbara was a senior in high school at the time of his 
death. 

Even the common duties about the home were approached by him 
with enthusiasm. One rule was adamant: the family must have 
breakfast together. From the knock on the door with a remark 
about the duties of the day until they were gathered at the table there 
was no rest for the loiterer. He knew no lines between the work of 
a man or that of a woman if the work must be done. If there was 
no maid, he would help with the dusting, the bed-making or the 
dishes, singing as he worked, though he never could carry a tune. In 
the home there was this spirit of cooperation. At other times when 
crowded with work the family would assist him. On Sunday the 
day was not complete without a letter written to each of the absent 
children. 

No hours stand brighter in the memory of the home circle than 
those when he read a loud. A lover of courage, many of the selec- 
tions were accounts of heroic deeds. Pathos brought tears to his eyes 
as he read, though at the same time there might be a smile upon his 
face because of the heroism shown. 

Mr. Stanton wanted everyone to enjoy his home and he felt free 
always to phone from the office that he was bringing someone to 
dinner. Before Mrs. Stanton could reach the kitchen he would be 
seen coming, perhaps with two or three men. It was on one of 
these occasions, a Monday when the larder was especially low, that 
the family was very much amused when he began Grace by saying, 
"Father, we thank Thee for the bounties which Thou hast provided." 

Mr. Stanton was socially inclined. He always wanted to be in on 
the visits. The social life of the campus was a wholesome one; no- 
where were more genuine friendships formed than among the faculty 
living there, and many evenings were spent together especially through 
the long vacations. He enjoyed duplicate whist, euchre, or five hun- 
dred. If the evening was spent in conversation, no one had a better 



PRIVATE LIFE 53 

fund of stories or was better informed on the current topics of inter- 
est. Mr. Stanton had a keen sense of real humour which is the rarest 
of all senses. It was the sense of real humour, which is subjective and 
introspective as well as objective, and which has a philosophic sense 
which makes it possible to laugh at those one loves without loving 
them any the less. When he sat forward on the edge of the chair 
with a smile and chuckle, a good story was forthcoming which would 
well illustrate the point. As the smile and the chuckle grew, those 
listening were carried along until they all joined in the hearty laugh 
even before the end was reached. 

A lover of the out-of-doors, Mr. Stanton enjoyed walks through 
the North Woods or over the beautiful campus. His early love for 
baseball later took the form of real enjoyment in a game of tennis. 
P'or years Knapp and Stanton had their daily game with Marston 
and Beyer. When tennis became too vigorous, the garden space was 
enlarged, and during the later years of his life he cultivated a couple 
of lots south of the campus, going to them for an hour or two before 
his office opened at eight. He was always ready for a trip into the 
country in the automobile and was disappointed if anything inter- 
fered in the summer with the Sunday night supper in the woods. 
His farms in Hancock County were too far away to reach often, but 
he followed the work there closely. He knew every detail of the 
running of his son's ranch in California, and when it became neces- 
sary because of his health to rest he spent several months there. In 
February, 1919 he wrote, "Our visit here has been a continuous 
delight. The ranch has hitherto revolved about Edgar HI and it 
still so revolves. We do a few little things by ourselves on the edges 
but the center of gravity remains constant. The boy was trying just 
now to strike a bargain with me regarding Barbara. There is this 
especially fine point about the little lad. No matter how disputed 
questions are settled he ends the matter with a satisfied 'Oh,' which 
quiets himself and the rest of us. You should see me working on the 
ranch. It is lots of fun. I almost pity you people who work in doors 
while I am out in the sunshine and green fields with the live oaks and 
the singing birds." 



54 EDGAR WILLIAMS STANTON 

Few were the vacations which he took. The executive work kept 
him at the college often for the entire year. He missed only four 
commencements, once when he was abroad, twice when in Cali- 
fornia and the June when Coe College conferred upon him the honor- 
ary degree of LL.D. His travels consisted mostly of the many trips 
back to the Pennsylvania home in the early days or in later years to 
the ranch of his son Edgar in California or the home of Donald in 
Schenectady. He attended the twenty-fifth and the fiftieth anniver- 
saries of the battle of Gettysburg, going by auto from Schenectady to 
the later reunion. One trip to California was made by auto. A few 
short vacations were spent fishing and swimming in Minneso- 
ta ; one in Colorado and another in Arkansas. Several trips were 
made through the east studying at other universities ; a few trips were 
made for the college interests ; and some in response to invitations of 
alumni clubs. During the spring and summer of 1906 with Mrs, 
Stanton he took the Mediterranean trip, spending several weeks in 
Spain and Northern Africa and finally landing at Naples, from there 
touring through Italy, Switzerland, France, Germany, Holland, Bel- 
gium, and England, ending the six months tour by several weeks in 
Scotland. 

The first and only family reunion was held on Mr. Stanton's last 
Christmas. Edgar suddenly decided to bring his family back and 
telegraphed Donald to come. With his children and the three grand- 
children Donald Jr., Edgar HI, and Jean Eleanor all there, Mr. 
Stanton's happiness seemed complete. 

It was natural that in his will made in April, 1920 when he first 
realized the long pull that was before him to recuperate from the in- 
fluenza, he should have included the college as of equal importance 
with the members of his family. The residue of the estate he gave to 
the college, leaving it in the hands of the family with five years in 
uhich to determine what form such a memorial should take. 

Mr. Stanton died at Canandaigua, New York on September 12, 
1920. Services were held on the lawn of the home he had so dearly 
loved, September 16. The day \\-as perfect and the campus never 
lovelier. His body was laid to rest in the college cemeteiy, where 



PRIVATE LIFE 55 

his many friends returning may bow their heads for a moment in 
remembrance of the man whose gentle wisdom, keen insight, and 
deep, broad, tender sympathies so influenced their lives. And as they 
bow, the college chime, his chimes, shall break the stillness with, 

"Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet, 
Lest we forget, lest we forget." 



AFTERNOON SERVICE 

SEPTEMBER 16, 1920 

On the Lawn at His Home 

On the Campus 



EDGAR W. STANTON 
TEACHER, ADMINISTRATOR, FRIEND 

After fifty years of unselfish service to Iowa State College, Edgar 
W. Stanton, teacher and friend of thousands of Ames men and 
women, passed on early on the morning of September 12, at Canan- 
daigua, N. Y. While his death was not unexpected to many alimini 
and friends, yet it came as a shock to hosts of friends throughout the 
state and nation. 

Dr. Stanton was given a leave of absence last spring and went 
east to be under the care of his son, Dr. E. M. Stanton '98, of 
Schenectady, N. Y. He returned to the campus for the semi-centen- 
nial celebration, at which time he received a certificate of cnu'ncnt 
service, signalizing the completion of a half century of service for 
Iowa State College. At that time, many alumni called at the ]Maples 
to see their old time teacher and friend. This little pilgrimage is 
now treasured among life's dearest memories. 

Shortly after the commencement. Dr. Stanton, \\ith his wife, re- 
turned to New York for further treatment. For awhile his condition 
was very serious ; then he seemed to improve, and the day before his 
death, he was much more cheerful, spending the afternoon on the 
beautiful grounds surrounding the sanitarium. 

The funeral services were held on the lawn September 16, in front 
of The Maples which had been his home for fifty years. Preceding 
the services, his body lay in state in Central from 10 o'clock A. M. to 
2 o'clock P. M., where hundreds of friends passed by in silent 
reverence. 

The setting for the services which were in charge of President 
Pearson was in perfect harmony with the life of him in whose 
honor they were held. Fully 1000 friends, including a few from 
other states, were present to pay their last tribute to the man whom 
they loved and revered. 

59 



60 EDGAR WILLIAMS STANTON 

Rev. H. K. Hawley of the Ames Congregational Church, of which 
Dr. Stanton was a member, gave the funeral address. He paid a 
beautiful tribute to Dr. Stanton's home life and his service to Iowa 
State College. 

Mrs. Mattie (Locke) Macomber of Des Moines, a classmate of 
Professor Stanton's, spoke in behalf of the alumni. Mrs. Macomber's 
tribute was a touching one. She emphasized the consistency of Dr. 
Stanton's character — his loyalty to his friends and the institution 
which he served so faithfully for fifty years. "Presidents have come 
and gone in the half century of life of the college, but he has been 
here always, constant, devoted, ever working for the college," said 
Mrs. Macomber. "It is no wonder that he stood out, that he was 
first to be remembered by students who had gone away from the 
campus, for he exemplified the spirit of the institution. In far away 
Tibet, I came upon an alumnus whose first word after greetings were 
over, was about Mr. Stanton. In Mukden, in Europe, in far away 
sections of our country, where ever alumni met alumni, they talked 
first of this great man." 

President D. D. Murphy of the State Board of Education, in his 
tribute referred to Dr. Stanton as the "best beloved," and stated that 
there was no one who would question Dr. Stanton's right to this dis- 
tinction. 

"Happy, is that institution to which so big a man will devote all 
his life. And happy is that man who can find his work in an insti- 
tution which he so loves. Some men after a connection of fifty years 
with an institution like this would have arrogated to themselves a 
sense of proprietorship. This was not true of Dr. Stanton. In no 
way did he seek to exaggerate his importance. At no time did he 
lose his sense of proportion. He was easy to approach, but he stood 
firmly by his ideals. 

"In education he followed no chimeras," he continued, and pointed 
out how when the war wave swept over the nation and many in- 
fluences were clamoring for effort on the part of colleges which was 
not properly in their sphere. Dr. Stanton stood firmly for sound edu- 
cation, and refused to follow will 'o the wisps. He continued by 



ANNOUNCEMENT 61 

discussing Dr. Stanton's work as an administrator of public funds. 
"We came to rely on him implicitly in the financial affairs of the 
college," he said. "The legislature had every confidence in his re- 
ports." He recalled Dr. Stanton's refusal to use certain funds for 
purposes other than for which they were confided in his care. Pressure 
in the name of patriotism had been brought upon him. He refused, 
but at the same time, recognizing the need, pledged his personal credit 
to provide the money necessary. 

President Pearson closed the addresses by reviewing the life and 
accomplishments of his colleague and co-laborer, emphasizing those 
characteristics in Dr. Stanton's life which had made him the "Grand 
Old Man of Iowa State College." 

In the course of the services, Mrs. Ruth (Duncan) Tilden of 
Ames sang "Crossing the Bar;" Mrs. Fannie (Wilkins) Ryan of 
Des Moines, "The City Four Square ;" and Professor Tolbert Mac- 
Rae of the Music Department, "Jesus Lover of My Soul." Preced- 
ing and following the services, the chimes were played, reminding 
everyone of Dr. Stanton's love for Iowa State. 

The brief services at the grave were conducted by Dr. Hawley, and 
as the rays of the setting sun shot thru the trees in the little college 
cemetery, all that was mortal of Edgar W. Stanton, was laid to rest, 
among the kindred spirits of those with whom he had labored in the 
years gone by. 

In charge of the arrangements for the funeral were General James 
Rush Lincoln as chief marshal with Lieutenant-Colonel P. M. Shaf- 
fer and Captain J. K. Boles of the college military staff as aides. 
The active pall-bearers were from Dr. Stanton's office associates and 
were: G. W. Snedecor, E. A. Pattengill, E. C. Kiefer, J. R. Sage, 
Ward M. Jones, E. M. Effler, G. P. Bowdish and Maurice R. Harri- 
son. The honorary pall-bearers were: R. A. Crawford and C. J. 
Cole of the Valley National bank of Des Moines ; Dr. D. S. Fairchild 
of Clinton, J. L. Stevens of Boone; J. B. Hungerford of Carroll; 
W. J. Dixon of Sac City ; C. R. Brenton of Dallas Center ; W. H. 
Gemmill of Des Moines ; Daniel McCarthy of Ames ; and Dean C. 
F, Curtiss, Dean Anson Marston and Dean S. W. Beyer of Iowa 
State College. 



FUNERAL ADDRESS 
By Raymond A. Pearson, President 

loiva State College 

Eleven years ago Dr. Stanton spoke at services like these on the 
grounds adjoining a neighboring home and in memory of a friend and 
colleague. He closed a beautiful tribute with a plea to all present 
to dedicate their lives to noble purposes, so that when, as he said, 
"the shadows of evening come apace and we too shall be called, we 
may have fulfilled the injunction" of the poet who wrote these lines: 

"So live ; that when thy summons comes to join 
The innumerable caravan, that moves 
To that mysterious realm, where each shall take 
His chamber in the silent halls of death, 
Thou go not, like the quarry-slave at night, 
Scourged to his dungeon, but, sustained and soothed 
By an unfaltering trust, approach thy grave, 
Like one who wraps the drapery of his couch 
About him, and lies down to pleasant dreams." 

His own life was a realization of the poet's command. And 
it is comforting to know that when the final summons came 
to him it was literally in the manner indicated in those closing 
lines. He had been out on the beautiful grounds with Mrs. Stanton 
the previous day and he thoroughly enjoyed the outing. In the eve- 
ning he had gone to sleep as usual. With little warning the first 
intimation of the end came. Soon after midnight, while still 
peacefully sleeping, and with his hand held by his devoted wife, his 
spirit slipped away from the tired body and entered the Kingdom 
where peace and happiness abound. 

He had no fear of death. Of a friend who had been called to his 
last abiding place, Dr. Stanton said, "To him the world and those 

62 



FUNERAL ADDRESS 63 

who dwell therein had deepest meaning. He stood on the shore. In 
his clearing vision, it was 'on earth as it was in heaven'. When 
such spirits cross the line, 'O Death, where is thy sting? O Grave, 
where is thy victory?' " 

His life on earth ended last Sunday morning, September 12, 1920. 
In three more weeks he would have reached the age of three score 
years and ten. He had performed a full life's work and would have 
done more, when, a few months ago, he laid aside his tasks to go 
away and get well and, as was said by one of his good friends here, 
then to return to be for years to come the grand old man of Iowa 
State College. We wanted him for his counsel, and for such services 
as he would wish to give, and most of all for the inspiration that 
would come to all of us from his presence. 

But the Master of the Universe ruled otherwise. Dr. Stanton has 
crossed the great divide and joined the multitudes which now include 
most of the early builders of Iowa State College — Welch, Beard- 
shear, Budd, Stalker, Knapp, Bessey and others. Few remain to tell, 
from their own experience, the story of early college days. 

On October 3, 1850, Edgar Williams Stanton was born in Way- 
mart, Wayne County, Pennsylvania. He came of good lineage. The 
record shows that his ancestor Thomas Stanton migrated from Eng- 
land in 1635. Apparently he was one of the many who felt they 
could not bear the interference with religious worship and civic liberty 
imposed by the House of Stuart, which had succeeded to the throne 
a few years earlier. 

Thomas Stanton was a trader, a magistrate, Indian Commis- 
sioner, and a Judge, He won distinction as a fighter against Indians. 
Later another ancestor fought in the Revolutionary War and went 
through sufiferings in a prison ship that were comparable with Ander- 
sonville, Edgar's parents were good, plain country folks, apparently 
just like the parents of most of our great men and leaders. 

In his classification of college students Dr. Stanton used to refer to 
one group as "those who are sent to college." He did not belong 
to that group. He belonged to the group that includes young men 
who truly thirst for knowledge and who are determined to find it at 



64 EDGAR WILLIAMS STANTON 

any possible cost. Learning of Franklin Academy in Delaware 
County, New York, he proceeded thither. Professor George W. 
Jones, a Yale graduate and Principal of the Academy, became inter- 
ested in young Stanton and gave him some work to earn expenses. A 
little later Professor Jones came to Ames to teach mathematics in the 
new Agricultural College, and soon after that, in 1870, our friend 
followed to take instruction here and to live in the home of Profes- 
sor Jones, where some labor was performed for his board. Since that 
time the same house has been his home — it has been altered and en- 
larged, but the original building remains. Fifty years in one home! 
How few there are who hold such a record, and how much better it 
would be if the average tenure of homes could be lengthened <ind 
more of these high records produced. 

We who were close to Dr. Stanton know how much he enjoyed 
life and how his happiness depended upon strenuous and useful work 
for others. When he could not serve, his chief pleasure was gone. 
He served mankind. It is too early to evaluate what he did, and in 
any event it would be impossible on this occasion. In due time I 
trust his great work will be fittingly recognized. 

It is hard to realize that his physical presence no more will be with 
us. We picture him as we have seen him countless times, playing 
tennis on his lawn, walking briskly to or from the office in Central 
Building, or doing any one of many things he was wont to do. We 
realize that his place, which has become vacant, is a very large place, 
and we well know that in so far as the college, city and state are 
concerned, it cannot be filled by any one person. Diflferent persons 
must assume his different tasks and proceed as best they can. 

It is indeed hard to bear the thought that we may not join with 
him in conference, that we cannot go to him for advice, that no more 
will we meet him on the highway, that we shall not see that kindly 
smile nor hear the sympathetic voice — all this deepens our grief. 

I will not dwell upon his splendid qualities as a christian, save to 
mention the fact that he lived that kind of a life in earnest — he was 
a strong supporter of christian organizations and an uncompromis- 
ing example and advocate of pure living. 



FUNERAL ADDRESS 65 

Nor will I refer at length to his home life. It was simple and 
beautiful. How he loved his home! With the exception of brief 
periods of sickness or the visit of the angel of death his years in that 
home were happy. If an expression were to come from the home it 
would be like that of Burns in reference to his father: "E'en his 
failings leaned to virtue's side." I wish I could say words which 
would bring real comfort to his family, especially to those two 
who have been so near to him of late and whose mutual dependence 
upon him and care for him have been so tender. Our prayers go out 
for God's special comfort to those in the family circle. 

Of his patriotism it is a pleasure to speak. His life spanned a 
period of over half a century between our two greatest wars. He 
was toe young to participate in the Civil War but at the right age 
to realize what the conflict meant and to become imbued with the 
national spirit. Those who have heard cannot forget his account of 
the charge of the 1st Minnesota regiment under Hancock at Gettys- 
burg, when 83 per cent of the men fell in twenty minutes and nearly 
half of the remainder fell the following day. He had visited Gettys- 
burg — he knew the strategy of the battle and he realized as though 
he had been in it what the terrible sacrifice was for. He felt that 
those of us today who enjoy our christian civilization which was 
insured at such awful cost, are unworthy of the name American if 
we are not devoted to preserving and advancing this civilization. 

He w^as not a pacifist, as that term is now understood. He be- 
lieved that at times war has been "the only way of clearing the path- 
ways of progress so mankind could come into the privileges of a 
higher civilization." He considered war to be sublime when waged 
in a holy cause. 

All of us remember the crisis of April, 1917, when our men stu- 
dents, and all stafif members able to drill, were asked to spend one 
hour daily in preparation for military service. Dr. Stanton entered the 
ranks on our campus and took the instruction with the thought that 
at least he might learn so he could teach others, for he knew he could 
not go himself. A little later when the Students Army Train- 
ing Corps problems were so difficult, he labored with them and had 



66 EDGAR WILLIAMS STANTON 

no thought of self, as though he felt his health and strength were of 
no account as compared with the cause he served. 

Through his example and his words Iowa State College men en- 
tered more enthusiastically into the war and Iowa State College 
women more enthusiastically supported them. When we see our 
college service flag with its thousand of stars, we should think also of 
his war service here away from the battlefields but not less arduous 
and perhaps not less dangerous. 

His interests were broad. The whole world was vital to him. 
State, city, business, — each had its appeal to which he responded with 
his service. 

Dr. Stanton's connection with Iowa State College cannot be 
covered briefly, and most that could be said here must be omitted. 

His record is unique. There can be very few others like it in the 
whole country. Fifty years of continuous connection and service! 
The life and influence of no other person are woven so intimately 
into this college, — its physical plant and its educational ideals. With 
only rare exceptions, those of a personal nature the college stood first 
in his life and purposes. 

Fortunate college when such a man has such ideals! Fortunate 
state! Student, teacher, department head. Secretary, Junior Dean, 
Vice-President, Acting President — and all this work well done! A 
natural teacher — not made but born. The students loved him. They 
tell with pride that they were in his classes. He had the great gift 
of stimulating interest and of applying his instruction to interesting 
piojects. It was a pity when other duties crowded him out of the 
class-room, but it had to be so. 

As an administrative officer he was equally successful. He knew 
the policies of the institution from the first and helped to formulate 
most of the important policies which prevail at this time. His records 
as Secretary are made with scrupulous care and will serve always as 
examples of accuracy and neatness. His direction of financial matters 
was outstanding. The Board of Education and State officers in Des 
Moines placed full confidence in any financial statement he had pre- 
pared. 



FUNERAL ADDRESS 67 

It is said that Gladstone was the greatest finance minister of 
modern times. His work on the national budgets always will stand 
as among his most notable services. In that office he was governed 
by three cardinal principles, self-imposed: first, that he was the 
trusted and confidential steward of the public and was under sacred 
obligation in regard to all that he consented to spend ; second, that 
plans for using public funds must be kept safely within the limits of 
funds available ; and, third, that his own popularity should have no 
consideration in administering the public purse. You who knew Dr. 
Stanton will bear witness that in these respects he was like Gladstone. 

More such financial officers in private and public institutions would 
decrease the number of bankrupts and the inexcusable number of 
cases where public officers appear before Congress or a legislature 
demanding deficiency appropriations. A few years ago our chem- 
istry building burned with practically all its contents. It was 
because of Dr. Stanton's policy in reference to holding an emer- 
gency fund — a policy desired and approved by the Board of Educa- 
tion, but one which is carried out only with the greatest difficulty 
when the responsible officers of an institution are not truly sympa- 
thetic — it was because of his policy that within five days practically 
the entire group of students, 1000 strong, were at work again, at 
work with new equipment purchased in more than a dozen places by 
members of the chemistry department staff who left Ames for that 
purpose the day after the fire. 

As Dean of the Junior College he exercised a profound influence 
upon thousands of students. No one will know how many he 
"saved" from educational wreck; but from time to time different ones 
have appeared and admitted the fact with reference to themselves, 
and with gratitude. 

He helped students to see the challenge of their work. Said he: 
"It is a mighty task for which you are making ready, full of respon- 
sibility," and "Get into the game and stay there," and "We are be- 
ginning to write the history of the new year. It is ours to make the 
pages glow with the story of work well done." Such appeals cannot 
be resisted by red-blooded men and women. 



68 EDGAR WILLIAMS STANTON 

He supported all worth while activities of the college. He said: 
"I like athletics because they represent qualities that are needed in 
every part of our institutional life;" and he admitted with a bit of 
glee that his pulse quickened when the game was on. Such a man 
never grows old. He liked debates also, and he wanted to see the 
other activities prosper, but he always held the educational purposes 
above all else. 

In judging men he was an expert, with remarkably few failures 
to his credit. He wanted to know their record and something of 
their standards of living. And he won the loyalty and affection of 
his associates to an unusual degree. 

How he loved the campus, — the buildings, the vistas and trees. 
By arguments and pleasantries he helped keep the path nuisance to a 
minimum. He often referred to this place as a beauty spot of Iowa 
and spoke of what it should mean to those who have been here to 
return to visit the familiar places. 

In his talks to alumni, who always welcomed him so cordially, he 
used to like to dwell upon the campus and its developments and how 
old I. S. C. was keeping pace with the growing needs of the state in 
reference to instruction and investigation along the five great lines 
committed to this college. Through these talks here, and at many 
places throughout the country, he has done much to foster the right 
college spirit and to strengthen our college by promoting unity and 
enthusiasm among all friends of the institution. We are glad he 
could attend some of the Semi-Centennial exercises. Infirmities kept 
him away from most of them. 

How did Dr. Stanton achieve success in such large measure? The 
answer is that he possessed a great secret, namely, that certain funda- 
mentals of character are necessary for real success. It was a flame 
within him. I refer to it as a secret, because it seems to be unknown 
to many persons. 

He advised young people to be right-spirited. He pointed out the 
harm of getting cross-grained with the world. He himself was right- 
spirited. I never knew him to show anger or to lose his temper. 
When something went wrong he would pity the one who made a. 



FUNERAL ADDRESS 69 

mistake, and he would smile and help to show how to make it right. 

He was patient. Day after day he could wait for another to see 
the light or to act on a question. Meantime he would be busy other- 
wise. He had abiding confidence that right would prevail. He was 
cheerful. When he entered a room the atmosphere seemed to be 
more buoyant. His optimism was contagious. Like President Taft, 
he would sometimes chuckle heartily as he was about to relate a pleas- 
ing anecdote. He told many of them, and they were always appli- 
cable and in good taste. 

He could think clearly and reason logically. One might get some- 
times the impression that he was slow in answering the question — 
but he was quickly marshalling the facts in his own mind and when 
the answer was given it was practically certain to be right. One of 
our officers has remarked that a question submitted at two different 
times more than a year apart would bring the same answer in both 
cases. This was not because he remembered the question nor the 
answer, but because his thorough mind found all the facts in each 
instance, and as they were the same facts they led to the same conclu- 
sion. 

He had faith in his work and in his own plans and conclusions. 
He preached faith for others, and he exemplified his own teaching. 
Fundamentally he believed in Iowa State College ; he had faith in 
her destiny. He pointed out that her work is all constructive and 
essential to supplying the people with their various necessities. To 
the students he said, "Believe in the work you are doing. Grip its 
importance." Especially he had faith in Iowa — in her fertility, her 
people, her industries, and her future. 

He was sympathetic. Whoever went to him, teacher or student, 
found a sympathetic listener. He put himself in the place of the 
troubled visitor, was able to understand countless problems and give 
their solution. He had confidence in others. This was a chief 
reason for his success with students, and for his success as an admin- 
istrative officer. He was charitable as to their shortcomings. 

He loved mankind. His own words in reference to a dear friend 
apply to himself: "His interest in students came from his love of 



70 EDGAR WILLIAMS STANTON 

human kind. His heart overflowed with it. He hated no one, loved 
all ; but he reserved a sort of a sacred place in his affections for those 
who came under his instructions. His loving interest in his students 
was, however, tempered with rare good judgement. He was exacting 
in his requirements. He would not tolerate shabby work." His 
ideals were high. He advocated good scholarship and sensible ath- 
letics, but he pointed out forcibly that intellectual and physical train- 
ing, unguided by high moral instinct, never produced a well-rounded 
man. He said that one may learn to farm scientifically or to build 
bridges or tunnels, yet without right ideals he may make an utter 
failure in life. 

Other striking characteristics might be mentioned, including 
especially his courage, in this effort to call to mind those which 
underlay his success as a leader in our college. 

Such qualities cannot die. His body, which is but clay, has fallen 
and we care for it lovingly. His spirit is builded firmly into the 
standards and traditions of Iowa State College. It will go on and 
on and grow with the college. It will continue to live in those who 
have been in contact with him and it will be transmitted to countless 
others. We have proof in this in the words of the scriptures : 
"I am the resurrection and the life saith the Lord ; he that believeth 
in me though he were dead yet shall he live, and whosoever liveth and 
believeth in me shall never die." 

A new term came out with the war. It is most expressive — 
"Carry on !" Today it seems to me these words are being repeated 
to us from every side. Our beloved friend is taken from our sight. 
We thank God for him. Here, there, on all sides, we see his handi- 
work. We marvel at his accomplishments, and we know these are 
due to splendid traits of character which are implanted more or less 
well in others of us. It is for us to emphasize these good qualities, 
because the world needs them, and we have been shown how. Thus 
we will be honoring the memory that we cherish. Let us then in- 
terpret the sounds of the bells, his bells, and the breezes in the leaves 
as calling to us to "Carry on." 



FUNERAL SERMON 

By Rev. H. K. Hawley 
Pastor First Congregational Church, Ames, Iowa 

"Whosoever would be first among you, let him be servant of all." 
Mk. 10:44. 

It must be with a sense of deep disappointment that you learn that 
one who was a life long friend of Dean Stanton cannot be present 
this afternoon to interpret his life to j'ou with all the wealth of un- 
derstanding that only such an extended association could furnish. I 
share with you to the fullest this regret, knowing full well that a 
brief acquaintance, and that during the concluding years of so long a 
life can but illy prepare one for this gracious service. And yet so 
transparent and so genuine was that life — so free from all sham and 
hypocrisy — that one may judge of the life in its prime from the con- 
cluding years, just as one may estimate the process of growth and 
perfecting from the ripe and mellow fruit that hangs heavy from the 
branches in the days of harvest. 

One text above all other seems best fitted to this occasion. Here 
and there in the Gospels is recorded some word that fell from the 
lips of the greatest Master of Life, some word that seems to probe 
the depths of human experience and prophecy concerning the ele- 
mental and common life of man. Such a word did Jesus speak to 
his disciples when he contrasted the law that dominated the great men 
of ancient time with the law that was destined to control the lives of 
those who in these new times should gain pre-eminence. You will 
recall those significant phrases, which gather up the whole Christian 
philosophy of life. Let me quote — "Ye know that those who are 
accustomed to rule over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their 
great ones exercise authority over them. But it is not so among you : 
but whosoever would be great among j^ou, shall be your minister: 

71 



72 EDGAR WILLIAMS STANTON 

and whosoever would be first among you, shall be servant of all." 
Everyone who was personally acquainted with Dean Stanton will 
agree that in his life the concluding phrases of this text have been ful- 
filled among us. "Whosoever would be first among you, he shall be 
servant of all." 

There is according to the truly christian philosophy of life — 
according to the estimate of Jesus — no greater thing that may be 
said at the conclusion of any man's life than that he made himself 
servant of all. 

Such a life service implies somewhere, — sometimes in childhood, 
more often in youth, occasionally in mature life — a definite, conscious 
dedication of one's life to such a service. We are accustomed to call 
it "conversion" or "being born again" or some such term. It matters 
little enough what it is called. It is of trivial importance whether it 
come to a man in one moment of supreme choice or whether it comes 
as a series of lesser determinations. The great experience measures 
an unconditional dedication of life to unselfish service. Somewhere 
behind every great soul who has attained distinction in the service of 
the race there is this conscious dedication to ideals. It never just 
happens that one rises to the first place in the service of the race. It 
is a conscious act, demanding the whole of all the highest qualities 
that man possesses. 

But intention, even dedication cannot alone achieve such distinction 
in service. There must follow the years of growing self-control. 
The years while the soul is in the hard process of character building. 
Character alone furnishes the background for great giving. A stream 
can rise no higher than its source, and no one may give that which he 
has not himself acquired. You may be sure that behind every great 
gift there is a wealth of personality. And personality is achieved 
only through the extended discipline of the years. 

Self-discipline that ripens human character is by no means merely 
a matter of repression. Repression there must be, and no one of us 
who has red blood in his veins comes to full self control without 
severe lessons in repression of the impulses that are in contrast to the 
ideals that we have determined upon. But repression alone never 



FUNERAL SERMON 73 

develops a strong character. There must be expression as well as 
repression. The soul of man demands activity. 

And activity implies the establishment of points of contact in the 
personal world. Men delve in the impersonal and material, but the 
real expansion of a life into strength of character comes only with the 
establishment of many vital points of contact with other persons. 
Jesus toiled long hours in the carpenter shop at Nazareth and no 
doubt learned severe lessons in self-control while he accomplished 
work of which he need not be ashamed, but he is remembered not for 
his good work in the shop, but for his influence through the personal 
associations that he formed with men and women. So must it be with 
all men — their real service among their fellows comes through per- 
sonal association. 

God has ordained the human family as a place for the making of 
character. Here under the tutelage of father and mother the child 
learns his first lessons in living and serving, and the boy or girl who 
meets the high demands of the home life has already found the deep- 
est secret of usefulness. 

More profound in its influence upon character and offering a still 
more effective field for service than the childhood home, is the home 
which the man builds for himself. There is no higher nor sweeter 
association known among the children of men than that which is 
established under the roof where children are born and reared in an 
atmosphere of christian love. Broad and profound as may be the in- 
fluence of men in the world of affairs, nowhere is the inner spirit of 
the man so made manifest as in the bosom of his own home. No- 
where is his service so intimate and so necessary as in his home. He 
may perform great public service and gain the plaudits of his fellow 
men, but right at the hearth-stone as husband and father does he 
measure up to or fall short of the true christian standard. I need not 
speak of the wholesome, genuine, hallowed influence that has for all 
these years emanated from this christian home. Like the fragrance 
from sweet flowers it has delighted and blessed all those who came 
within range of its influence. 

Next to the intimate relations of a home must come the wider 



74 EDGAR WILLIAMS STANTON 

personal associations. He only lives who makes for himself friends. 
And he who would serve must first gain the confidence of his fellows 
in friendship. Jesus could minister to the needs of his disciples only 
after he had become their friend. By the establishment of these 
friendships he opened the way for service. So must any do, who 
would serve. This man whose memory we honor today crossed the 
path of thousands during the seventy years of his life, and wherever 
his spirit touched the spirit of another there was the beginning of a 
friendship. Few men can count more friends than could Dean 
Stanton. 

The man who would serve fully in these modern days must have 
an interest in the organizations that are built for the welding of 
humanity. The Church and a thousand other lesser organizations 
are bidding for our loyalty and support, and he who would serve fully 
must ally himself with these organizations. Mr. Stanton realized 
this and no good purpose lacked his interest and support. He had 
learned the secret of making friends of the mammon of unrighteous- 
ness, as well as the giving of his own personal helpfulness. 

Another will speak of the loyalty and devotion of this good man 
to the chosen work of his life. To few it is given as it was given to 
him to build his life into one institution. I think that it may be said 
more fully of him than of any of the good men who have served Iowa 
State College that it is an incarnation of his spirit of service. Here 
he lived, and here he worked with never flagging enthusiasm and zeal. 
It was his good fortune to have chosen a work that threw him in most 
intimate personal contact with thousands of young men in the years 
that are most impressionable. His influence can never be measured. 
Throughout the world are men who today are what they are to some 
degree because one day they felt the touch of this man's spirit. 

By his devotion and fidelity to the high interests of this institution 
he has led the world in the pioneer service of education that is practi- 
cal, but never so practical as to eliminate the ideal. Always, in 
private and in public this man kept the balance between the material 
and the spiritual, remembering that the gaining of all things can be 
no gain unless there be in the getting the acquirement of character. 



FUNERAL SERMON 75 

Standing as we are today on the border land between the world 
we know and the great unknown, what shall we say ? We shall say 
this with unequivocal certainty: that such a life of service is the fullest 
preparation for a still greater service in the higher sphere of activities 
to which we believe death is the vestibule. If Jesus be the interpreter 
of God, then such a life is the way to eternal life. 

Our mourning is not for our friend, but for the loss that the world 
suffers in the passing of such a soul. A man like this leaves a great 
place unfilled and he will be missed. In his home, among his friends, 
in the institutions in which he has been interested, in his great work 
he will be sorely missed, but the comfort of a memory more precious 
than any other heritage will ever inspire us to a life like his. 

May I read in conclusion the poem that I believe expresses his own 
spirit and would please him best. Written by Tennyson just before 
he himself turned to cross over, it has voiced the faith and spirit of 
other men of like spirit. 

CROSSING THE BAR 

Sunset and evening star, 

And one clear call for me ! 

And may there be no moaning of the bar, 

When I put out to sea. 

But such a tide as moving seems asleep, 

Too full for sound and foam. 

When that which drew from out the boundless deep 

Turns again home. 

Twilight and evening bell, 

And after that the dark ! 

And may there be no sadness of farewell, 

When I embark; 

For tho' from out our bourne of Time and Place 

The flood may bear me far, 

I hope to see my Pilot face to face 

When I have cross'd the bar. 



MEMORIAL SERVICE 

AGRICULTURAL ASSEMBLY IOWA STATE COLLEGE 
NOVEMBER 21, 1920 



MEMORIAL SERVICES 

Iowa State College 
November 21, 1920 

President R. A. Pearson^ presiding 

Solo, "The Lord is My Shepherd" 

Mr, Chas. Roach 

Scripture Reading and Prayer 

Dr. H. K. Hawley 

A Personal Tribute 

Prof. O. H. Cessna 72 
College Chaplain 

Solo, "The Chimes" Emma McHenry Glenn '78 

Mrs. Ruth Tilden '95 

Address 

Mr. M. J. RiGGs '83 

President Alumni Association 

Address 

Pres. I. B. SCHRECKENGAST '85 

Quartette, "The Homeland" 

Mr. Roach, Mrs. Tilden, Mrs. Clement, Mr. Wood 

Prayer and Benediction. 

79 



MEMORIAL ADDRESS 

By Dr. I. B. SCHRECKENGAST '85 

President Nebraska IVesleyan University 

It was in the summer of 1882 that I first appeared in Doctor 
Stanton's classes. There was enough difference in our ages so that 
I never felt on terms of intimate friendship. I conceived for him the 
highest possible admiration. His teaching inspired me, and his per- 
sonality commanded my respect. As the years went by this admira- 
tion deepened into real affection. He was always warm and cordial 
in his relation to me and in later years always came to hear me when 
I was in the neighborhood. My student admiration for him was so 
great that I took all the work that he had to offer. In my personal 
conversation with former students we nearly always spoke of him 
affectionately as "Stanty." 

I am thinking of him this afternoon as a splendid illustration of 
the supreme business of an institution like this. I have been very 
proud of the material development of my old college. Coming back 
occasionally since graduation, I have been almost startled by evidences 
of material prosperity as seen in the splendid buildings that have 
been placed upon this campus. Just now a greater building than 
any yet conceived — a million dollar memorial building — appears to 
be probable in the not distant future. I feel, however, like saying 
that the greatness of this institution is not to be measured by the 
greatness of its material equipment. It can only be measured in the 
greatness of the men and the women that it has produced. Professor 
Stanton was a student in this school. All his life from his early 
young manhood until his death was spent on this campus as student 
and instructor. The development of the brain and heart, the charac- 
ter and personality, of a man like Edgar W. Stanton is the finest 
out-put of this or any other educational institution. Just as Dr. 
Stanton illustrates in his life the chief out-put of an educational insti- 

80 



MEMORIAL ADDRESS 81 

tution, he illustrates in his personal choices an appreciation of life's 
supreme values. He was a specialist in the realm of economics. He 
knew quite well the underlying principles that make for business suc- 
cess. If he had been willing to spend his j^ears and his energies in the 
accumulation of money, he might have become, as other associates of 
his early manhood, very wealthy. Instead of seeing the great values 
of life in the accumulation of material things, he saw them in that 
ever increasing stream of young men and women who crowded his 
class rooms and thronged upon the campus. Today large numbers 
of those young men, grown gray in the service of the world, have a 
feeling of gratitude for the influence which he has had over their 
lives. The life that finds its supreme opportunity in the service of 
men and women rather than in the accumulation of material things 
is the only kind of life that can look with equanimity upon the 
approach of age and, eventually, death. 

As youth and mature manhood slip away into the past, there some- 
times come temptations to regret their going, and to wish that we 
might have the opportunity of living them over again. It is only as 
we are able to invest these years that get away from us so that the 
results which come to us from their investment are worth more to 
us than the years themselves, that we can see them going without 
regret. When I was a boy in a country school, I sometimes traded 
knives sight unseen, only to find that the knife that I secured was 
poorer than the one I had. Under such conditions it is only quite 
natural for a boy to want to trade back. It is possible to spend 
our youth in such a reckless fashion that the product that we get 
has little power to satisfy. Under such conditions we can imagine a 
mature man mourning his lost youth and cherishing the desire to 
have it returned. But if the years that are gone have been so in- 
vested that you would not destroy the outcome of those years even to 
feel the thrill of youth again, j'ou can watch the approach of age with- 
out regret. 

I have imagined the Apostle Paul, aged and broken in body, in 
troubled sleep in prison cell. In the middle of the night a hand is 
laid upon his shoulder. Paul is aroused and he rubs his eyes and 



82 EDGAR WILLIAMS STANTON 

says, "Who are you come to disturb an old man In the midst of his 
troubled sleep." Paul receives the answer, "I am the messenger of 
your lost youth coming to make you dissatisfied with the experiences 
that age has broughty ou. Paul, wouldn't you like to be a boy 
again?" And Paul answers, "It would be fine to be free from the 
burdens of life, the mental strain and the physical pain, — I would 
like to be a boy again and run care-free through the streets of Tar- 
sus." Then the messenger says, "I have the authority to ofifer you 
your lost youth." And Paul says, a little more awake, "If I come 
to be a boy again what will become of the things I have accom- 
plished — my influence on Timothy; the churches that I have estab- 
lished in Asia Minor; the people that I have won out of the licentious- 
ness of heathenism, some of whom have even died and gone to the 
other world?" And the messenger says, "If you become a boy again 
you will have to give up all that life has brought you — you cannot 
have your youth and the things that you have accomplished, too." 
Then I imagine Paul answers with great firmness of spirit, "If I 
have to give up what life has brought me in order to get back my 
lost youth, if I have to take Timothy out of the pulpit and destroy 
those churches that have been erected in the heart of heathenism and 
call back out of Heaven those people who have been won to the faith 
of Christ and have to meet the christian God, I wouldn't trade 
back for all the world." 

Today there is a great loneliness on this campus and in the hearts 
of the intimate friends of this one who has gone. Is it not possible 
for us, however, to see that no true friend of Dr. Stanton would 
destroy the influence which he has had in the lives of hundreds of 
young men and women in order that they might bring back the 
days of his youth ? Having worn himself out in the service of others, 
I think of him as rejoicing in the harvest which life has brought to 
him and going out with confidence to meet the experiences of the 
eternal world. 



"I cannot say and I will not say 
That he is dead. He is just away; 



MEMORIAL ADDRESS 83 

With a cheery smile and a wave of the hand 
He has wandered into an unknown land, 
And left us dreaming how very fair 
It needs must be since he lingers there. 

And you, Oh, you, who the wildest yearn 
For the old-time step and glad return, 
Think of him faring on as dear 
In the love of there as the love of here ; 
Think of him still as the same, I say. 
He is not dead ; he is just away." 



DEAN E. W. STANTON— A TRIBUTE 

By Dr. O. H. Cessna, 72 

Head of Department of History and Psychology 

loiva State College 

It is Sunday on the train coming from California to Ames. While 
in California I received the telegram announcing the death of my 
old friend. I was in the midst of a prune harvest on a ranch about 
a mile distant from Edgar Stanton's ranch where Dean Stanton has 
had the center of his California interests. As circumstances pre- 
vented my going to Ames, I went at once to express my sympathy to 
Edgar and family and then plunged again into the prune harvest. 
My thoughts were more or less diverted by the things in hand and 
while the sadness of Dean Stanton's going was in the background of 
all my thoughts, the whole thing seemed like a dream rather than a 
reality. But now I am on the train going toward Ames and I am 
beginning to pick up the threads of my life there in the great college. 
Of course all the things connected with that life begin to assume 
clear outlines. Since the telegram, the news of Stanton's death has 
seemed more like a nightmare constantly haunting me, crowded into 
the background by the new and pressing interests of our visit. But 
now we are homeward bound, and as we begin to enter the realities 
of that home life and things take on definite shape the most vivid 
thing is that Stanton has gone. The fact begins to come out in all 
its reality, and I am beginning to wonder how I can go on without 
him. As I sit here in this car, I catch myself saying "Is it true or 
have I dreamed it— can it be possible that I shall see my friend no 
more, and the only thing that is left is to go out into our little college 
cemetery and sit on that tombstone and think over all our happy 
associations?" That tombstone as you know is near my own and is 
in a little plot of ground so closely connected with our college histor}'. 

That old college cemetery ! You know what it means. Take that 



A TRIBUTE 85 

little spot where Dean Stanton now lies. I, myself, have officiated 
in twenty-nine interments of those who lie there, — all from our 
college community. As you know, Stanton's lot and my own are close 
together and there are those other old friends of ours — President 
Welch, our first president, Tom Thompson, a member of our own 
class, and now Stanton of those older days. Then there is Genevieve 
Welch Barstow, President Welch's daughter, a little girl winning 
her way into all our hearts when we were students here at the college. 
Then there are those of later date — President Beardshear, Dr. Harri- 
man, our college phj'sician, the Barretts, Dr. Knapp, once our college 
president, and his beloved wife, Mrs. Bennett, Mrs. Summers, and 
my own precious boy. Oh ! I have sat there many a time and tried 
to make real to myself some great foundation truth that must be 
firmer than life with all these changing scenes. We seem to be 
marching on as in a great procession. The ranks up at the head of 
the column are thinning out. There must be some great strong 
steady truth and spiritual reality that endures through all these 
changes. I am helped sometimes in my thoughts as I go out on a 
starry night and look up into the heaven. There one sees the great 
constellations that have ridden in their places, lo, these many centuries. 
They seem to be symbolic of great permanent realities that endure. 
Though revolutions come and changes seem to sweep aside all human 
affairs, the Great War with all its destruction not only of human 
life but of the institutions of civilization itself, may work its devasta- 
tion, still they are there in the heavenly expanse. Sixty years ago, as 
a boy I went out and lifted my eyes up to the heavens and there 
were the Great Dipper, Orion and the Pleiades, and I go out tonight 
and there they are still in the same old places. I take down my bible 
and I hear Job speaking reverently of God "Who spreadeth out the 
Heavens and treadeth upon the waves of the sea. W^ho maketh 
Arcturus, Orion and Pleiades and the chambers of the South. Who 
doeth great things past finding out. Yea wonders without number." 
These great symbols of eternity ride on the same. Oh! there must 
be something that endures through all these human changes. I con- 
fess as these friends slip from us one by one and our cherished plans 



86 EDGAR WILLIAMS STANTON 

and our most permanent human institutions seem to fail, it makes one 
feel around for the firmer foundation on which to stand, and thank 
God we do not feel in vain. 

No death in these recent years has come to me as the death of 
Dean Stanton. His going is like the shooting down of a man at 
one's own side. You feel somehow as if the dart or missile of death 
was beginning to find your own squad. And Stanton is gone! It 
must be so. It is so. Though — 

"The very stern reality 
Makes us almost think we dream." 

It may be interesting to you to know that not long ago when talk- 
ing over things in general in one of those quiet little intimacies we 
now and then had reference was made to what might sometime occur. 
I think it was after the death of our classmate LaVerne W. Noyes 
one or the other remarked that the messenger might come for one of 
us one of these days, and as we spoke of it we rather agreed that the 
one who was left would speak at the funeral service and pay the 
tribute to his friend. It was interesting that an exception was made, 
and if I mistake not I think he suggested that perhaps one of us 
might be in California at the time and it would be difficult to return, 
but the tribute could be paid just the same. Strange to say that very 
thing has come to pass and the sad duty has fallen to me. Would 
that I might have the gift of his eloquent expression when I come to 
speak of his life, for his was a rare power and never more beautiful 
than when on occasions like this he came to speak of a departed 
friend or comrade. At no time did he do so well as when he came 
to say the words of comfort and appreciation in times like this. We, 
in our own home, shall never forget the beautiful comforting mes- 
sage that he gave when the dark shadows came down over us. It 
will seem strange that we shall hear his voice no more on these occa- 
sions. 

Then there were those other addresses of his which he gave from 
time to time before the student body. It was on these occasions that 
the students came to know him in these later days. There 



A TRIBUTE 87 

were those "special chapels" as they were formerly called when 
he moulded the thought and controlled the action of the student 
body. When he was in the executive chair it was in this way 
that he sought to direct things. He attempted to form public opinion 
at the start and to control action by beginning early, and thus pre- 
venting the open outbreak. I remember one instance quite a number 
of years ago when the President was absent from the college there 
developed a very serious clash between the sophomore and freshman 
classes and the actual physical conflict was on. Someone appealed 
to him to control the affair, but he refused to touch it, saying that 
the time for his action in such matters was much farther back than 
this stage of the game. He made effort to prevent such conditions 
arising rather than stopping the thing when it was actually on, and 
he was usually successful. The reason why he was so effective was 
that, in these special chapel talks, he spoke to the students in such 
a way that they felt the reasonableness of his position and the sincerity 
of the man. He had this rare power of molding student thought 
because they felt he was every inch a man. 

In my experiments in mental imagery in my psychology classes, I 
have at times wanted to call up someone about the institution with 
whom the students were all familiar. I usually spoke of Dean 
Stanton, and the interesting thing was that the students usually either 
called to mind the little personal talks with him in his office when 
they were in the junior college or they saw him on the platform at a 
convocation or big athletic rally. It was also interesting that they 
not only recalled a visual imagery of the man but they also recalled 
the auditory image of the sound of his voice. For years no booster 
meeting or great rally before some important game was complete 
without Dean Stanton as one of the speakers. How he would have 
enjoyed that rally before the homecoming and Iowa game the other 
night. He enjoyed talking on such occasions because he was thorough- 
ly in sympathy with athletics. This was always true, even in his 
undergraduate days. He enjoyed the various athletic games then 
in vogue. He was a great tennis player, and there are members of 
the faculty present who knew what it meant to cross rackets with him 



88 EDGAR WILLIAMS STANTON 

on the tennis court. In those earlier days we were both members of 
that first baseball team ever organized in the Iowa State College. My 
place was third base and his was short stop. Tom Thompson was 
our captain, and he was a great captain. Tom was the first of our 
class to pass away. Those of you who have been out yonder in our 
little college cemetery will doubtless recall the name of Tom Thomp- 
son on that little marble shaft near the Stanton monument, with the 
record that he died in 1875. Now there lie both Tom Thompson 
and Stanton and many other old friends and associates in that little 
cemetery, and my lot corners with theirs. Is it a gloomy outlook? 
Am I depressed? No, no, far from it. This passing is but a stage 
in the development. We have a hope that "though the earthly house 
of this tabernacle be dissolved, we have a house not made with hands, 
eternal in the heavens." Stanton is not there in that cemetery. Bless 
you, no ! He lives, for one said "Because I live, ye shall live also." 

His has been a unique relationship with this school. He came in 
the spring of '70. I had come among those who were here in the fall 
of '68 for that little preliminary term before the inauguration of our 
president in the spring of '69. Stanton had his preparation and pre- 
liminary work under Professor Jones in the east before he came here 
so he entered at once in our class. Professor Jones took him into his 
own home and he did chores for his board and room. We worked 
together in the treasurer's office under Professor Jones for some time. 
We then had only two courses in the college, the Agricultural course 
and the course in Mechanic Arts. I chose the course in Agriculture 
as it seemed to have more of the Liberal Arts. He chose the Mechani- 
cal course as his special forte was mathematics. 

Dean Stanton's work was largely connected with detail adminis- 
tration of the institution. As Junior Dean, he came into personal 
touch with a large number of students. To him fell the unpleasant 
task of dealing with the delinquents, and also with the parents who 
came to counsel with him regarding their children. In all these mat- 
ters he was singularly gentle and sympathetic and tactful and yet 
firm. As a teacher, he was eminently successful, as will be borne 
witness to by those hundreds of students who were under his instruc- 



A TRIBUTE 89 

tion in economics and mathematics. For years no student ever 
passed through this institution without taking some work under Dean 
Stanton. The fact that he was made honorary president of the Gen- 
eral Alumni Association shows his very wide acquaintance and gives 
evidence of the high esteem in which he was held by all of the alumni. 

Then there was the business side of the college. As secretary of 
the board, it was he who knew all matters of business detail thorough- 
ly, and to him reference was constantly made. Every session of the 
Legislature was for him a very exacting one, as to him in every 
case of controversy and criticism all matters were referred. He stood 
the brunt of things. He was very jealous for the reputation of the 
college and watched with great solicitude the various changes in 
sentiment and saw to it that no suspicion or criticism was well 
founded. 

Then all the older members of the faculty and students will re- 
member those years and years and years of service as classifying officer. 
No student ever got into the college without passing under his direct 
personal supervision. He was jealous for the standard of scholarship 
in the institution as well as for what he thought was the student's 
best good. The passing whims and sentiments of students never 
could change him. He hesitated to delegate this work to anyone else 
for fear it would not be well done. No one more than he had the 
honor and efficiency of the institution at heart. In a peculiar sense 
this was his school. He had put his Vv'hole life into it and had 
carried its interests on his heart in the daytime, and at night on many 
occasions it had gone to bed with him to disturb his slumbers. It had 
also gone with him on his vacations to rob him of his rest. Its life 
was his life. He had been with it in its dark days, and no one more 
than he greived when it was maligned and its fair name trailed in the 
dust. But how he rejoiced in its prosperity. He loved to see old 
Iowa State win, win in athletics, win in forensics, win with large 
appropriations from the Legislature, win in the success of its students, 
who were achieving in the world's great battle. It was his very own 
flesh and blood. There was no place where old students would 
rather go than to Dean Stanton's office for a little chat over things. 



90 EDGAR WILLIAMS STANTON 

He was always glad to hear what the boys and girls were doing. 
Their success was his success and their misfortune was his misfortune. 
In an intimate sense these boys and girls were his boys and girls, and 
he was deeply interested. Others might come and go but not he. 
You never heard him say that if his salary was not raised he'd go. 
He was too closely linked with the very life of the college to be 
moved by such considerations. You never heard of the lure of the 
business world as tempting him away from the college. Nothing 
could induce him to leave it, and even when its cares broke him down 
he was not willing to quit though urged to take a long vacation by 
the physician, the officers of the college and his loved ones. I think 
there is no question but what if he had taken a longer rest a year 
or two ago he would have been here today. 

Those who passed through those awful months of October and 
November and the early part of December in 1918 will never forget 
their sorrows and distress. The exigencies of the war threw the 
burden of executive control on Dean Stanton's shoulders. Our 
President was called away by the authorities to Washington to help 
solve great problems there. One wonders how Dean Stanton and 
General Lincoln lived through those awful days of the "flu." They 
were the responsible heads and had to make the decisions — Dean 
Stanton of the College and General Lincoln of the Military, They 
had to hold the institution together and bear the brunt of criticism 
w^hen everybody was nervous. Literally hundreds of our students 
sick, many of them dying — on each of two days in succession the un- 
dertaker took away six of these precious boys from our hospital. 
Hundreds of anxious parents and relatives were here. Strict quaran- 
tine rules were necessary and had to be enforced in the interest of 
safety. Financial loss was incurred and severe criticism resulted. 
Yet in the storm these men stood at the helm and guided the old 
college safely through to brighter days, but the strain was terrific, 
and some of us would not have been surprised had one or the other 
of these men fallen in his tracks. 

Dean Stanton was at that time given a few months leave of ab- 
sence. These were spent on his California ranch, and he apparently 



A TRIBUTE 91 

recuperated until he seemed to be his old self again. Yet evidently 
his powers of resistance had been undermined, and the next year when 
the "flu" visited us again he himself fell a victim to the slow poison- 
ing of the disease, and gradually he went under the cloud of the de- 
pressing effect of the toxic poison. He struggled for months to 
master it, but his was as a battery that had run down and the life 
energies were not sufficient to recharge his vital forces. Finally 
things broke and he passed on. 

Dean Stanton was deeply and sincerely religious. He had a strong 
grip on the great verities of his religious life. None more than he 
felt the evil of narrow bigotry. He wanted a religious conviction that 
would stand the test of open free thought and investigation. 

Visiting clergymen who come to speak at our Sunday Chapel have 
frequently remarked the high moral tone and the reverent spirit of 
worship that pervades our institution and general student body. 
That this is true I feel sure, during all his years of service, was due 
perhaps more than to anyone else to the sincere devout spirit, 
teaching and example of Dean Stanton. He was always at daily 
Chapel, and that was a rare Sunday when he was in his accus- 
tomed place in Sunday Chapel and by the inspiration of his presence 
and reverent manner added to the effectiveness of the services. Many 
is the time when through discouragement I have been ready to cease 
some of our poorly attended activities. He would say, "No, Cessna, 
these services reach farther than we can see ; God is in the midst ; it 
is ours to work. He takes care of the results." God wants men of 
faith who can still work on when things do not seem to move, and 
not men who can work only when they see tangible results. Some 
men are like some horses, they pull only when the load moves. Other- 
wise they balk. Stanton pulled on any^vay whether things seemed 
to move or not when duty called for pulling. 

Some of the rest of you will miss Stanton. Most of all and most 
sorely he will be missed from that home, — with those loved ones here 
and elsewhere. I may not speak of this, it is too sacred a relationship 
to enter. He will be missed from our faculty meeting; he will be 
missed from those board meetings where he has served so long and so 



92 EDGAR WILLIAMS STANTON 

faithfully. He will be missed from our athletics and our athletic 
gatherings. How much, who may tell ! He will be missed from the 
alumni gatherings. You will remember how he was greeted at the 
last meeting when in broken health he tried to do his part. He will 
be missed from our friendly social gatherings and the great booster- 
meetings of the college. How his heart would have thrilled on 
Armistice Day and other great gatherings recently. He will be 
missed . . . well where will he not be missed? Everywhere, in 
everything that has Iowa State College's interest at stake. 

You will miss Stanton, but do you know how I shall miss 
him? More than fifty years of intimate fellowship have been ours. 
Away back in 1870. I met Stanton for the first time when he came 
from the east to enter our class. As boys we were drawn together, 
and the intimate companionship and friendship has lasted all these 
many years. Our boyhood problems were solved together, our college 
aspirations were shared. Our manhood ambitions we've held as com- 
mon interests. We've read our diaries to each other and we've 
studied together the deeper heart problems. As some of you 
know his ranch in California was but a mile from one I have a little 
interest in, and in recent years we have talked of what we'd do when 
we would cease our work here at the college, for advancing years 
have reminded us both that things could not go on forever. We had 
planned as to the possibility of spending our later days together in 
California making our home perhaps in Berkeley near each other and 
then riding together over those beautiful California roads to our 
ranches for our outing and companionships. These were some of the 
more intimate communings of our hearts. Do you wonder that in our 
deep affliction when our precious boy was taken we turned instinctive- 
ly to him? He was among the first who came, and when he took me 
by the hand though not a word was spoken I felt that I was not 
alone and new strength came to bear it. In joy or sorrow I wanted 
him to share it. One has but few such intimate friends and they 
mean too much to lose without deep bereavement, but now I am 
alone. How shall I be able to stand up and give the class yell at 
alumni meetings? How indeed, but in the fact that we all breathe 



A TRIBUTE 93 

the Stanton spirit and we are to think of this not as ending his 
existence but rather as his promotion to another sphere of activity. 
He still lives, and we shall not mourn as those without hope, and I 
am comforted. 

It certainly means much for the worth of a man to have lived in a 
community like this so long and so intimately and yet to be worthy of 
such unusual tributes as have been given both at the funeral service 
and at these memorial services and in the many other tributes of re- 
spect and love elsewhere. Such friendships as these make life worth- 
while and give beautiful tribute to the reality of the great spiritual 
verities. Well done, good and faithful servant. 



MEMORIAL ADDRESS 

By M. J. RiGGS '83 

President Alumni Association. Manager American Bridge 

Company's Plant, Toledo, Ohio 

I count it a great privilege to be able to be present here on this 
occasion and to take some little part in this service. I find it very 
difficult to express my real feelings in words, and what I shall have 
to say must be a statement rather personal in nature and in the form 
of testimony as to what the life and work of Dr. Stanton has meant 
to me in fitting me for, and helping to hold me up to all that is best 
in my own life. 

It is forty years ago, this year, that I came as a boy eighteen years 
old, to Ames and found myself, as all freshmen did in those years, 
in Professor Stanton's class in Algebra in the old Main building. I 
loved mathematics and took the Civil Engineering course so as to get 
all the college could offer at that time. I have always been glad that 
the school was small enough then, and at the same time pleased, too, 
over its more recent great growth, so that I had the pleasure and 
profit of reciting every term for the four years to Professor Stanton. 

Professor Stanton was a great teacher. He always knew his sub- 
ject, no doubt or bluf? or make believe in him. He was a clear 
thinker and saw straight and far and had the happy faculty of ex- 
pressing himself and holding things up so that every one else could 
see, too. 

One soon learned that Professor Stanton expected him to come to 
class fully prepared and to be able to make good with any part of the 
lesson. You always felt that you would get from him just what was 
your due, and that he took great pleasure in giving you a perfect 
mark. He always showed this plainly by the twinkle in his eye and 
by what he said in the way of encouragement. One soon got the 
habit of, and took pleasure in making good for his sake as well as 
one's own. 

94 



MEMORIAL ADDRESS 95 

This training was good for me, and I owe more than I can tell to 
Professor Stanton for it. 

Professor Stanton was a good friend, and a strong man. For 
forty years we knew him and saw him often. For many years he was 
almost the only link between the newer college and the good old days 
of the earlier times. He knew every one of us, was always really 
pleased to see us and very much interested in our progress, in our 
own family life, in all our worthy ambitions and in all our real suc- 
cesses. One could always confide in him, could tell him your prob- 
lems, your failures, could ask for council and advice. You felt that 
he was wise, balanced, sympathetic, and ready to give the best he 
had freely for your good. 

None of us have many such friends ; he was such a friend to me. 
Yes, he was a good friend and I shall miss him. 

Above all else he was the big, wise, steady unselfish man for Iowa 
State College, for the first half century of its life ; others came, played 
their parts nobly, went on again, Stanton always here. In his life 
he played all the parts. On occasion he could and did carry them 
all almost alone. 

A man of great business and executive ability, all of vrhich he used 
for the good of the college. This great state institution owes more 
than any of us can know to this fine and unselfish public service, con- 
tinuous and persistent service which he was privileged to render 
through so many years. Every great institution in industry, politics, 
religion or education has had in its beginning some strong man who 
gave his very life for it. Professor Stanton filled that place here. 
The times demanded it. In the providence of God Professor Stanton 
was here, saw the vision and gave himself whole heartedly to the 
task. "Not self but service," was his motto always. 

You people here know how much in earnest I am in the matter 
of a fitting memorial to the men and women of this college who gave 
service and life in the great war. Not all who gave their lives in 
this cause died in battle, and I believe that Professor Stanton just as 
truly gave his life as did the others, and I hope that we may work 
out our plans in such a manner as to provide in a fitting and suitable 



96 EDGAR WILLIAMS STANTON 

way a lasting memorial to him and to the fifty years of noble service 
which he gave. He gave it all. He went all the way. We all owe 
him much. 

Berton Braley has written a little poem which he calls, "A Formula 
for Success." It seems to me that Professor Stanton in his love for 
formulas must have discovered this one early in life and lived it here 
for fifty years. Here it is : 

"It's doing your job the best you can 
And being just to your fellow-men ; 
It's making money, but holding friends, 
And staying true to your aims and ends ; 
It's figuring how and learning why, 
And looking forward and thinking high, 
And dreaming a little and doing much; 
It's keeping always in closest touch 
With what is finest in word and deed ; 
It's being thoro, yet making speed ; 
It's daring blithely the field of chance, 
While making labor a brave romance ; 
It's going onward despite defeat 
And fighting staunchly, but keeping sweet; 
It's being clean and it's playing fair ; 
It's laughing lightly at Dame Despair; 
It's looking up at the stars above, 
And drinking deeply of life and love ; 
It's struggling on with the will to win, 
But taking loss with a cheerful grin ; 
It's sharing sorrow, and work, and mirth. 
And making better this good old earth ; 
It's serving, striving thru strain and stress, 
It's doing your noblest — that is Success." 



APPRECIATIONS 



EXTRACTS FROM LETTERS FROM COLLEAGUES 
AND FORMER STUDENTS 

"He needs no other monument than the college which he served 
so long and well. Iowa has lost a good citizen, the college a real 
benefactor and thousands a good, true friend." — Dean and Mrs. G. 
W . Bissell, Michigan Agricultural College. 

"He was one of the pillars of the college, rendering inestimable 
service, beloved by every student and associate, unselfish and high 
minded. His loss to the institution is irreparable and his passing 
breaks one more link binding the present to the early days of the 
college." — /. C. Arthur, '72, Professor Emeritus of Botany, Purdue 
University. 

"When I think of my connection with the Iowa State College, 
Professor Stanton always stands in my mind, as the prominent figure 
in the very forefront of college efficiency." — George S. Allyn, Board 
of Trustees Iowa State College, 1904-1909. 

"His was a life of service. He will live on through the lives of 
thousands of alumni whose vision he broadened and whose ideals his 
own inspired." — C. W . Rubel, '04, President, Northern California 
Branch of Alumni Association, County Agent Leader for California. 

"He had the ability to foresee and execute great plans. And com- 
bined with this was his great heart. It is out of the consecrated lives 
of men of this sort that great institutions are built up." — Alfred At- 
kinson, '04, President, Montana State College. 

"He taught us to think sanely, to do honest work, to judge values 
fairly." — Ida T. Blochmanj '78, Berkley, California. 

99 



100 EDGAR WILLIAMS STANTON 

"He may be gone from us, but his influence lives and will always 
live, strong and helpful." — F. W . Beckman, Professor of Agricultural 
Journalism, Iowa State College. 

"To all who came within the sphere of his influence, he was at 
once a source of inspiration. His life, which is an integral part of 
the great institution with which he was connected for fifty years, was 
devoted to a noble work. The state of Iowa is his debtor." — Honor- 
able W . H. Gemmill, '94, Secretary of the Iowa State Board of Edu- 
cation. 

"I feel it has been a rare privilege to have known him intimately." 
—W. A. Helsell 77, Attorney, Odebolt, Iowa. 

"From the beginning, he became to us and the multitudes that 
followed more than a mere teacher. He became our dear friend and 
brother to whom we owe more than we can tell. His influence 
abides and flows enriching with the years. Even as a vein of water 
flowing underground silently causes plant life to blossom and fruit, 
so the work be wrought, blesses the world in the accomplishment of 
those he trained." — E. J. Hainer, Ex '76, Ex-Congressman, State of 
Nebraska. 

"He had a personality outside the executive office or the class room 
that wrought out results as real and as distinctive in the affairs of the 
state as the technical products of the shop or laboratory. He was 
more than a teacher, he was an inspiration. An indescribable influence 
hedged about him and affected young life in his presence. Students 
were drawn to the inner precincts where new light shone and ambi- 
tion was reborn. There was something mystic in the quality of the 
influence exerted over the student body under his guidance. His 
great and absorbing personality held the endearment of hundreds as 
closely as his cherished advice would grip the spirit of the individual 
student."—/. B. Hungerford, 77, Publisher of Carroll Herald, 
Board of Trustees, Iowa State College, 1894-1909. 



APPRECIATIONS 101 

"He shared in some of the happiest da^'s of my life and has alwaj^s 
been something of an ideal that has seemed to guide in my working 
Uie:'—Clem F. Kimball, '89, Ex-Senator, Attorney, Council Blufifs. 

"His stalwart character, his wise leadership, his evenness of temper 
and his genial personality endeared him to the hearts of all who knew 
him. He still lives in the hearts of his friends, and the good influences 
of his life will never die." — F. S. Dewey, '08, President Kansas City 
Alumni Association, Assistant Manager Kansas City Light and Power 
Company. 

"Were the items of thoroughness that I learned from Dr. Stanton, 
a marketable commodity, money could not buy it. We will not soon 
see his like again." — /. L. McCaull, Ex-86, Minneapolis. 

"I have always admired his undaunted spirit and strength and his 
boundless faith in all great ideals for the college." — Fina Ott, Former 
Y. W. C. A. Secretary. 

"It was given to him to serve longer and more faithfully than 
any other and to be revered for that wonderful service." — Dora 
(Sayle) O shorn, '81, Columbus, Ohio. 

"In the many years that I spent at Ames, I always knew that what- 
ever my perplexity, whatever help I might need in straightening out 
any big or petty difficulty, I would find my best advisor and my 
advice at the desk of and the person of E. W. Stanton." — Adfian 
M. Neivens, Lincoln, Nebraska, former Head of Public Speaking De- 
partment, Iowa State College. 

"I feel as though the real genuine spiritual force of the college had 
gone, except that such a force as his can't go, so long as there are 
people left who remember it." — Emma (Leonard) Packard, '07, 
Delhi, California. 



102 EDGAR WILLIAMS STANTON 

"Though dead, yet he lives in the great and lasting influences of a 
half century left behind in the strong and noble men and women 
who have been under his teaching." — W. A. Peterson^ '87, Physician, 
Chicago. 

"In all these years, I have seen no change in his general personality. 
Through all of these years, I have known him somewhat intimately. 
He was always the same in his outspoken frankness to me, and I 
have always said he had a lovable personality. You might differ 
from him on various matters, but nevertheless he was still the same 
lovable man to you. You could easily forget differences and like 
him. It is not given to many men to have such a character." — L. H. 
Pamtnel, Professor of Botany, Iowa State College. 

"No one could come under the influence of Dr. Stanton without 
being a gainer. I am glad to have had that privilege. He will be 
sorely missed at all alumni meetings. That irresistible smile will 
never be forgotten." — Emma (Reno) Hadley, '14, Lincoln, Nebraska. 

"The sorrow is ours. Our loss is great. That of the college is 
beyond measure. I am abidingly convinced that the work of no man 
has done more for I. S. C. as an institution and for the molding of 
character of its student body, than has the work of Mr. Stanton." — 
L. B. Robinson, '77, Deceased, Former Member of the Board of 
Trustees, Iowa State College, 1898-1902. 

"While the Iowa State College is an eloquent and lasting monu- 
ment to his memory and an entirely fitting testimony of his services, 
yet the purposes of his life are more appropriately reflected in the lives 
and fortunes of the thousands of his acquaintances and friends." — 
Virgil Snyder, '89, Professor of Mathematics, Cornell University. 

"His deep sincerity, devotion to noble educational ideals, his kindli- 
ness and unselfishness, won for him in our hearts a place of lasting 
affection. Such a life as Dean Stanton's argues most convincingly for 



APPRECIATIONS 103 

immortality. Such characters are of too great worth to perish." 
A. B. Storms, Former President of Iowa State College, present ad- 
dress: Berea, Ohio. 

"Such a life will not only continue in the Great Beyond, but its 
benign influence is reproduced in the thousands of lives with whom 
he was closely associated." — Nat Spencer, '88, Journalist and Welfare 
Worker, Kansas City, Missouri. 

"We who were his pupils know that he left his mark on the lives 
of all of us. He was always kindly. His was a bright, alert men- 
tality; he made his life work, the removal of difficulties from the 
pathway of others. He brightened the skies of many a struggling 
student, and was always ready to help. We may surely say of him 
that the world is very much better for his living in it." — T. L. Smith, 
77, Deceased, President of the T. L. Smith Company, Milwaukee. 

"It is difficult to believe that such a dynamic nature as his has been 
subdued even by death. As is usually the case, now that his wonder- 
ful work is ended, we are overcome with the magnitude of his accom- 
plishments." — Jure C. Tucker, Ex-'02, former Secretary to Dean 
Stanton. 

"Many of my fondest memories of college life and the earliest 
center around him. What a blessed memory to have, that all who 
ever came in contact with him, loved him and loved him devotedly." 
— Eva Paull Van Slyke, '74, Des Moines, Iowa. 

"He filled a large place in the world of business and education, 
but he also filled a very warm place in the hearts of the friends who 
knew him best." — Florence McDonald Wishard, Fullerton, Cali- 
fornia. 

"In his death, the college has lost its oldest and best friend and 
mainstay; the state and the nation have lost a man of power and in- 



104 EDGAR WILLIAMS STANTON 

fluence who has done much during his lifetime, to mold the charac- 
ters of the young men who are now citizens of our country and who 
will remember his teachings and examples throughout their lives." — 
Gurdon W . Wattles, '79, Bonds and Loans, Hollywood, California. 

"It is given to few men to serve an educational institution for 
fifty years and possess the esteem of tens of thousands of friends and 
students. We mourn as a friend and we mourn with the State which 
has lost one of its most useful citizens." — George F. and Anna 
(Nichols) Goodnoiu, '85, Chicago. 

"The state has lost a great citizen — the college its longest and 
most conscientious worker — the family a loving husband and father 
— and the alumni and students, a sympathetic friend. We will all 
miss him. His great work was about finished. God bless him. The 
men of 1891 are fast passing — Beardshear, Saylor, McElroy, Wilson 
and now Stanton." — C. D. Boardmanj '74, Kansas City, Board of 
Trustees, Iowa State College, 1888-1894. 

"There is mourning in every town and countryside in Iowa, be- 
cause of the death of Dean E. W. Stanton of the Iowa State College 
at Ames. In his life time the benediction of his influence rested upon 
thousands of young people from every corner of the state. For forty- 
eight years he had been a teacher at Ames. He had the respect and 
confidence of his pupils. He was always affectionately talked of as 
'Stantie', no matter whether it was in the days when he was an in- 
structor, a professor of mathematics, acting president or dean of the 
college. The college is his monument; he did for it more than any 
other man. He entered the institution as a student when it first 
opened its doors. He graduated with its first class, and from that 
day on, he worked and grew with the institution. He had satisfac- 
tion and pride in seeing it become the leading technical agricultural 
school in the United States. Dean Stanton's work is finished ; it has 
been good work, true work, square work, and its influence will reach 
far into the future, certainly as long as the youngest of those who sat 



APPRECIATIONS 105 

at his feet in the classroom shall live." — J . W . Doxsee, '77, in the 
Monticello Express, Attorney and Editor. 

"No two observers see the same rainbow; nor do any two critics 
see precisely the same excellencies of canvas or marble. Nor do men 
in the same degree see the virtues and abilities of a great man. And 
it is of a great man I write. That science, of which Stanton seemed 
to me a master, is so often taught as from a fog or from an inclined 
plane, or at an acute angle, that many a student passes the study as 
having gone through a mystery or has been squeezed out of a machine. 
It was not so with Stanton's students. He laid the foundation as 
clear and lucid as he did the axioms and fundamental mathematical 
propositions. Each proposition was lucidly presented and put in its 
proper relation to that which went before, and was so complete and 
appropriately placed that it fitted compactly with all that was to 
follow. 

But more particularly do I now recognize the force of his doctrine 
and the soundness of his teaching in that wholesome conservatism, 
apparent at all times, which while arbitrarily rejecting nothing new 
which was proving itself strong and sound, always held fast to that 
which was, and had been proved, good." — Charles H. Sloan, '84, 
Ex-Congressman, Attorney at Geneva, Nebraska. 



STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION PAYS TRIBUTE 
TO DR. STANTON 

Adopted 'November 4, 1920 

Nearly every human institution of any consequence bears upon it 
the stamp of some strong personah'ty, who perhaps dominated it or at 
least guided it during its formative period. 

Among those who have known Iowa State College from its begin- 
ning there will be few who will not agree that the most potent in- 
fluence in forming what we may designate as its character was Edgar 
W. Stanton. Other strong figures there were who helped to chart its 
course and shape its destiny; but those men came, remained a while 
and then removed to other fields or passed into the great silence. Dr. 
Stanton remained. Through all vicissitudes of changeful times, di- 
verse influences and conflicting purposes, he stood by; and, like the 
lad who 'bore 'mid snow and ice the banner with a strange device,' 
he had but one watchword. It may be approximately expressed in 
one word — thoroughness. He held to the old theory that mental 
vigor comes through mental discipline — real discipline, not make- 
believe. On this principle he never compromised. The high stand- 
ing of Iowa State College today is due primarily to Dr. Stanton's un- 
compromising attitudes on standards. 

He was a great teacher — direct as light and as clear. The student 
who could not grasp his statement of a fact or principle was hopeless. 
He was an excellent business man. In his capacity as Secretary of 
the College, he organized the institution on its financial side ; and he 
did a wellnigh perfect piece of work. 

But he was more than a teacher and organizer. He exemplified 
the sterling virtues of the old-time college professor. He took a per- 
sonal interest in every boy and girl who entered the college gates to 
become a student, and he followed their course through to gradua- 
tion and beyond. And as a result of all this interest and sympathy, 

106 



RESOLUTIONS 107 

there came back to him a wealth of gratitude and affection such as is 
the lot of few men to possess. 

Outside of the sacred precincts of his home, the dearest object of 
his life was the college. All of it he saw. A great part of it he was. 
Frequently he was called upon to take command and pilot the institu- 
tion between administrations or when the executive was called tem- 
porarily to other duties. He never failed to respond to the call of 
duty. The governing body looked to him, depended upon him, 
honored him. He has ceased from his labors. The institution he 
served so long and helped to build will for ever be his monument. 

The State Board of Education directs that this estimate of his 
character and his service, and this expression of its regard for him as a 
teacher, executive and man, be placed upon its minutes ; and that a 
copy of the same be engrossed and presented to his family. 

RESOLUTIONS BY THE BOARD OF DEANS 

Resolutions of the Deans of Iowa State College 
Adopted Tuesday, October 5, 1920 

The death of Dean E. W. Stanton, Senior member of the faculty. 
Dean of the Junior College, and Vice-President, severs a period of 
service that was marked by unusual devotion and fidelity to a great 
work. His intimate and long connection with the Iowa State College, 
dating from membership in the first class and service in the faculty 
continuously thereafter throughout his life, constitutes a record that is 
unique and inspiring. His notable work, his intense zeal, his kindly 
spirit, and exemplary life, leave a beneficent influence that will endure 
for generations. He gave unstintingly of his time and his thought to 
all who came to him for advice, whether faculty or students, and 
spared not even life itself when government and college combined in 
their great demands on his strength in the strenuous days of the war 
period. 

Resolved, that the Board of Deans record their profound sor- 
row and sympathy, and that we cherish the memory of his personal 
friendship, association, and service. 



108 EDGAR WILLIAMS STANTON 

RESOLUTIONS 
Adopted by the Faculty of loiua State College, November 15, 1920 

In the passing of our colleague and friend, Edgar Williams 
Stanton, Vice-President of the Iowa State College and Dean of the 
Junior College, who for a half century served so faithfully, so zeal- 
ously, and so capably, we recognize a loss to the institution of one 
of its chief builders and creators. 

As a student in the college and member of its first graduating class 
his scholarship and personality won for him an immediate appoint- 
ment as instructor. As teacher he quickly brought the students under 
his dominating influence, and impressed upon them his high ideals. 
They honored him for the high quality of work he himself gave and 
which in return he exacted of them. As head of the Department of 
Mathematics he commanded the respect, admiration and unquestioned 
loyalty of all the teachers in the department, and with their help he 
established a high standard of scholarship. 

As chairman of important committees he performed a service of 
large value to the institution as a whole. As chairman for many 
years of the Course of Study Committee he watched and guided the 
development of new courses, and by his loyalty to the fundamental 
purpose of the college was largely responsible for maintaining and 
developing the technical courses in this institution and putting them 
on a tnily scientific basis. 

As chairman of the Scholarship Committee he was as interested as 
a parent to inspire students to better efforts, as ready to give them 
one more opportunity, and as happy when at last they succeeded. To 
the discouraged he gave sympathetic counsel, for those in need he 
secured labor or financial assistance, and to those lacking true pur- 
poses he set forth a higher standard of manhood and womanhood. 
For years he gave to this work uncounted hours of patient investiga- 
tion ; through it all he retained a kindly spirit and an optimistic faith 
in the right purpose and attitude of the vast majority of our students. 

As Dean of the Junior College he gave careful attention to every 
detail. He planned in advance, organized his work thoroughly, and 



RESOLUTIONS 109 

classified each student with painstaking care. Two points which he 
ever held in mind were a high standard of scholarship and the welfare 
of each student. 

He served the college also on several committees on intercollegiate 
relations, such as athletics and entrance requirements. Whatever the 
problem, he took it up with zeal and devotion. To his tact and good 
judgment the college owes much of its present standing among the 
colleges of the State and the Central West. 

The great burden \vhich rested upon him as acting executive dur- 
ing the World War he carried with patience, strength, and rare judg- 
ment. When during the Student Army Training Corps period all 
the college standards and methods of proceedure seemed about to be 
swept away, he worked with tireless energy to maintain the college 
morale. During the influenza epidemic he was ever at the post of 
duty, zealous and devoted to the last ounce of strength. Through 
all this trying experience he maintained his poise, determined always 
that the college should render a great service, with high spirit. 

As Secretary for many years of the Board of Trustees and later 
as Secretary of the College under the State Board of Education, he 
safeguarded the expenditure of state appropriations so carefully that 
no breath of criticism was ever raised against the institution's finan- 
cial management. His exact and complete knowledge of college 
finances commanded the respect and confidence of these boards and 
of legislative committees, and secured for the institution increased 
and additional appropriations. Without question to his efforts and 
those of the late President Beardshear the college owes the erection 
of the magnificent buildings that now grace the campus. To him we 
owe our Campanile and its beautiful chime of bells, which wafts 
through the college atmosphere a sweet and beautiful impulse — a 
permanent influence toward right living, now and in the future. 

At four most trying periods he served as Acting-President. In 
this capacity he manifested hearty and impartial interest in each 
division of the college, and in every department. He desired that 
every department should render high service to the students and 
through them to the State, and he labored earnestly to promote the 



110 EDGAR WILLIAMS STANTON 

growth and welfare of the college as a whole and of every part of 
it. When his terms of sen-ice as Acting-President ended he resumed 
his former duties with unselfish devotion, welcoming and supporting 
the new executives with absolute loyalty. 

In addition to his official duties, he ever maintained an interest in 
all legitimate and constructive student activities, such as debating, 
judging teams, athletics, and the Y. M. and Y. W. C. A. At "pep" 
meetings his loyalty and enthusiasm were contagious. At athletic 
games he was always present to back the college teams, whether in 
victory or in defeat. The Y. M. C. A. Building might never have 
existed but for his wise counsel and strong influence with the alumni. 
Realizing the difficulty under which certain worthy students labored, 
he secured money for the Student Loan Fund and administered it 
with rare judgment and wisdom. 

He was gifted also with a fine p>ower of speech, manifested in 
many convocation and other addresses. AVhen "Stantie" was an- 
nounced to speak, the students turned out gladly. On such occasions 
his message was always lofty, his appeal persuasive and strong. When 
a fellow teacher passed away, few could phrase so well as he the com- 
mendable qualities and life work of the late colleague. Clear and 
logical in his thinking, honest in his convictions, straightforward in 
expressing them, high-minded in purpose, sympathetic and helpful in 
attitude, always loyal and devoted to the college, he won the sincere 
affection and admiration of students and faculty, and will ever live 
in the hearts and minds of the alumni. 

Having been connected with the college through its whole exis- 
tence, having served it with such singleness of purpose and with 
such distinguished ability, he may justly be called a creator and 
builder of the institution which developed so greatly during his 
service. 

To all his friends we offer this expression of the high admiration 
in which we, his colleagues, hold his memory. To the members of 
his family we tender our deepest sympathy. 

We suggest that this tribute of appreciation be spread upon the 
faculty minutes, and that a copy be sent to each member of his family. 



RESOLUTIONS 111 

RESOLUTIONS OF THE IOWA STATE TEACHERS 
ASSOCIATION 

Edgar Williams Stanton, teacher, administrator, adviser and friend. 
A great power in Iowa State College which he loved and served 
fifty years. To an unusual degree he sympathized with all who 
wanted knowledge. His challenge to do better in studies and in 
living has saved many a student and has inspired countless others to 
their best efforts. In business matters he neglected no detail, yet his 
vision was broad and his plans were constructive. His advice was 
sought by student, by colleagues in the faculty, by former students 
and by many different business interests. His strong and uncom- 
promising support was given to all activities that contributed to better 
character, better communities, and better state and nation. 



RESOLUTIONS OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS 

OF THE VALLEY NATIONAL BANK 

Des Moines, Iowa 

Edgar Williams Stanton departed this life on September twelfth 
1920 in the seventieth year of his age, but while yet active in the 
work of the loiva State College of Agriculture and Alechanic Arts 
to which he had devoted his entire mature life. 

Dean Stanton was a man of rare ability. He was intimately 
known and truly loved by thousands of students who, in the 
course of their education, came under his influence, and whose admir- 
ation as they entered their chosen life activities, never waned. To- 
day he is mourned by more men and women, intimate friends, 
throughout the whole United States, than perhaps any other man. 

He w^as appealed to for advice and counsel times without number 
and never in vain. His judgment was sound and the advice he gave 
always helpful and given gladly and conscientiously, for he was a 
friend of his fellowmen and had a genuine desire to help. 

Dean Stanton was a good business man. He went about his busi- 



112 EDGAR WILLIAMS STANTON 

ness transactions as he went about his work at the College, in a quiet 
unobtrusive way, and few indeed knew of his business achievements. 

As fellow members of the Board of Directors of the Valley 
National Bank we gladly pay tribute to his valuable services. 
While not a resident of Des Moines, he was nevertheless an unusu- 
ally regular attendant at the bi-weekly meetings of the Board during 
the tweny-two continuous years of his service. To say that his judg- 
ment and advice were sound, expresses his preeminent characteristic. 
Always conservative in his thinking, carefully weighing every con- 
tributing element, his trained mind found the conclusion that was 
just, and that could be acted upon with safety. 

It is a privilege to bear testimony to his high character, his worth 
as a business man, his valuable services as an adviser and associate, 
and to all those qualities that made him a real man among men. 

We esteem it a pleasure to permanently engross upon our records, 
this expression of our appreciation of Dean Stanton. 



RESOLUTIONS OF THE PORTLAND BRANCH OF THE 
IOWA STATE COLLEGE ALUMNI ASSOCIATION 

At a called meeting of the Portland Alumni Association, held 
September 25th, 1920, at the home of M. L. Merritt in Portland, 
Oregon, a committee was appointed to draft resolutions relating to 
the decease of Dr. E. W. Stanton, Dean of the Iowa State College. 
Said committee formulated and adopted the following resolutions : 

Whereas: — It is desired to express our condolence and sympathy 
for the loss we have sustained in our friend, and beloved professor 
and fellow alumnus of the Iowa State College, not only for us, but 
for those who were nearer and dearer to him, and to College and 
State, and 

Whereas: — It is fitting that we who have so intimately and favor- 
ably known him in his long and faithful service, should now give some 
expression of the event, and of the great loss sustained by the com- 
munity. For he was "high tower" in courteous and kindly sympathy 



RESOLUTIONS 113 

for any student in trouble. He was modest of his scholarly accom- 
plishments. His influence has been so wholesome, so dynamic in power 
for good, and his service so beautiful and affectionately given to the 
college, the reflection of which will cause a feeling of solemn pride 
in the hearts of all fellow alumni that they should have known this 
noble man. In college his students often said lovingly, "Stantie is 
all right." Therefore be it 

Resolved: — That while we mourn his loss, we now bear tribute to 
his memory, and cherish the recollection of pleasant associations, and 
while regretting his departure, we know his spirit will live long in the 
hearts of all fellow alumni, inspiring us to high thinking and honor- 
able practice in all walks of life. 

Resolved: — That while his achievements were of a high order, 
his work is now abundantly reflected in the higher ideals of many 
thousands of students of the Iowa State College, the beauty of which 
has been fruitful in patriotic and honorable citizenship. We therefore 
believe it to have been a blessed privilege to have known this calm, 
strong, cultivated and scholarly man. And it certainly is, now, well 
with him. 

Resolved: — That this heartfelt testimony of respect and sympathy 
and sorrow be forwarded to the family of our deceased fellow alum- 
nus and to the Editor of The Alumnus as a token of our high regard 
for his christian character and gracious influence on our Alma Mater 
for more than half a century. 

H. N. Scott 76 
Henry W. Parke '03 
Geo. B. Guthrie '06 
Hattie Hasbrouck Porter '00 
Committee. 



114 EDGAR WILLIAMS STANTON 

RESOLUTIONS OF THE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA 

BRANCH OF THE IOWA STATE COLLEGE 

ALUMNI ASSOCIATION 

Each member of this Association holds as a priceless heritage the 
influence and memory of Dean Stanton as a man, a teacher, a friend ; 
and words fail to express our full appreciation of his life, his character 
and his accomplishments. He was great as a teacher since he not 
only taught with marked success the subject in hand but did the 
greater thing, — he made every student his life-long friend and shaped 
to a remarkable degree the lives of the thousands of young men and 
women who came to his classroom or in other ways came under his 
direct influence. Whether the period of association was one year or 
many, there was that rare quality of sympathetic understanding that 
has endeared him to every one of us. Some of our membership, 
have enjoyed this privilege for nearly fifty years, others have been 
with him but a short time, but all agree that he stands preeminently 
at the head of the Alumni, the Faculty and the Administrative ofl^cers 
of the college. 

His place in the history of the Iowa State College is unique. No 
person, connected with any college, ever carried on his heart with 
greater devotion its welfare or gave more unstintingly of time and 
efforts to insure its proper development and ultimate success, and to 
him was granted length of years and strength of mind and body to 
participate in the full fruition of careful nurtured plans and to share 
in the realization of dreams come true. 

Others will more adequately and more eloquently eulogize him, 
but the Alumni Association of Southern California yield to none in 
the esteem, admiration, love and devotion with which we have held 
him in the past and shall ever hold him. 

We wish to rejoice with you today in the great deeds and accom- 
plishments of his life, and in the knowledge that he "lives on earth, 
in word and deed, as truly as in His heaven." 

The Iowa State College Alumni Association 
of Southern California. 

Eva Frances Pike 
Alfred Allen Bennett 
Berkley N. Moss 



IN MEMORY OF DOCTOR STANTON 

By Honorable A. B. FuNK 

Iowa Industrial Commissioner, former member of Iowa State 

Board of Education 

In the passing of Edgar W. Stanton, Iowa sustains no ordinary 
loss. Men more profound, men more brilliant, may have been in the 
service of the state, but few so useful and so much beloved have 
made contributions to our welfare. 

From the hour of his matriculation at Ames, he steadily arose in 
favor with those who knew the real Stanton. Modestly he accepted 
faculty relationship destined to continue to the end of his days, and 
by sheer force of character and service he gradually came into recog- 
nition to the bounds of our commonwealth as one who loves his fel- 
lowmen as well as one equipped for service inestimable. 

Dean Stanton has been the trusted counselor of governors and 
legislators. He has been the helpful advisor of college officials and 
college faculty. He has been the inspiration of thousands of our 
youth of several generations, at once as instructor and leader, as 
mentor and friend. He has given instruction elementally sound and 
permanently abiding. He has never "led but to bewilder." His 
leadership has tended to sane thinking, to practical conclusions, to 
sound citizenship — the best possible product of higher education. In 
private relationship he has quickened genius and promoted confidence, 
he has developed and directed character and capacity. And through- 
out his long and faithful stewardship he has given real meaning to 
the precious word, "friend." 

In qualities of mind and heart, in poise of character, in strength 
of personality, in substantial achievement, so helpful that it seems by 
no means vain to say : "We shall not look upon his like again." 



115 



"THE PHILOSOPHY OF CALC." 
From the Nought-Six Bomb 

For those who have never had the privilege of reciting to Prof. 
Stanton, we present the following: 

"You'll find some nice little algebra in that problem." 

"Unless ye became as little children ye cannot enter the Kingdom 
of Calculus." 

"When you've mastered a problem and go out into the open, 
doesn't the grass seem a little greener, and the sun a little brighter?" 

To a student who was hurr>^ing through a problem so he wouldn't 
be questioned : 

"When you're on thin ice, it's a pretty good plan to skate fast." 

Just before the roll call : 

"I wonder how the battle has gone." 

To a student who was about to give up trying to solve a problem: 

"Don't die on third base." 

After explaining some point at length : 

"You want to pin that fast." 

"Well, now, I wonder if Mr. is thinking analytically." 

"Hold yourselves down to the finals. When they are over, you 
can go out and fling your hats over the Old Main !" 

"An educated man is one who can do the things he ought to do in 
the time they ought to be done, regardless of what his desires may 
be." 

To a student who is not using the principles of geometry: 

"Mr. is like the man who comes to a brook with a plank 

on his shoulder. Instead of putting the plank across the brook, he 
throws it behind him, and jumps across." 

Explaining the theory of limits: 

"If you start to walk to the Dining Hall, and go just half the 
distance; then go half the remaining distance, etc., etc., you will 

116 



"THE PHILOSOPHY OF CALC" 117 

finally reach a point where the distance between you and the door- 
way is infinitely small. But you can never step inside the Hall if you 
continue to halve the distance. Nevertheless, when you reach this 
point, we have no fear that you will miss your dinner." 

In '99 after the Iowa game: 

"Easy problems are like easy foot-ball games. These little games 
don't count for so much, but it means something to play a hard game 
with the team that tied Chicago." 

To a student who is apt to wander more or less during a demon- 
stration : 

"Be sure you get on the right train before starting for your destin- 
ation." 



TWO OF DR. STANTON'S ADDRESSES 



ADDRESS BY DEAN STANTON 

Given at the College Convocation 
Tuesday, April 17, 1917 
Friends — 

In the uncertainties of these uncertain days there are still things 
that are certain. It is certain that the great nation Vv^th which we 
are at war can make mistakes. It has, lately, made two grave ones 
regarding America. 

It conceived, for instance, that the United States was filled with 
German-Americans who, when the hour of battle came, would line 
up with the Fatherland. She is having a rude awakening. She is 
getting her answer in ringing words such as a German citizen of 
Iowa used last Saturday evening in an address at Chicago where, 
speaking on behalf of the German-Americans of this country, he said, 
"Though it tear our very heart strings we will stand like a solid 
wall against Kaiser and Fatherland and kin across the sea." In the 
face of such devotion to the flag, where shall the red-blooded, native 
born, unhyphenated Americans stand ? 

And here is where Germany made another mistake, — she sized 
up this nation as a nation of mere money-makers, without vision, 
without lofty ideals, without the inclination or the courage to fight 
for that which she deemed worth while. Germany has culture, but 
a poor memory. She forgot Lexington and Yorktown and all that 
lies between; she forgot those heroic days when the blue and the 
grey, each battling for what it deemed right, put into the field an 
army which measured in the population of to-day would have been 
fifteen millions strong. 

This country fortunately has money, and it has pledged seven 
billions of it, the largest war budget ever voted by any nation in the 
world, to the establishment of democracy and a lasting peace on this 
old earth of ours. 

But America has something more than money, and that something 

121 



122 EDGAR WILLIAMS STANTON 

is stirring to-day in the hearts of her people. It is written on the 
faces of those I see before me this morning. It is not material, — it 
is spiritual; it is love of country; it is the spirit of patriotism which 
stands ready, if necessary, by the blood of brave men and the tears 
and self-sacrificing efforts of brave women, to see to it that liberty is 
not crushed by the iron heel of military despotism ; but that humanity 
is made free and that in the very center of the entwined banners of 
the free nations of earth. Old Glory shall have honored place. 

You are to drill ; so be it. Leaders are needed every^vhere in the 
making and drilling of armies; in the organizing and directing of 
production ; in the thousand ways by which this nation can be made a 
mighty, irresistible force in helping to carry to victory the cause of 
the allied armies. 

Leaders are made rapidly in such days as these. A young fellow 
who graduated in 1863 from West Point, in 1865, before the close 
of the Civil War, commanded a grand division in the Army of the 
Potomac. While I was a school boy, poring over my history text, 
the names of Grant and Sherman and Sheridan were written before 
my very eyes in undying fame. 

The get-ready spirit is in the air; it is in this campus air. This 
very hour you are to pledge yourself to preparedness, to getting 
ready, in humble place or high, to serve this state and nation, in honor, 
in brave-heartedness, in efficiency. 

God bless these young men and women. If it be Thy will, keep 
them from the dangers and cruelties of war ; but whether it be peace, 
or red-handed war, consecrate them, body and soul, to loyalty, to 
courage, to an untarnished name that shall be worthy of them; 
worthy of the great college they love; worthy of the free land in 
which they live. 

God bless them in this preparedness undertaking and in all that 
shall come out of it. 



ADDRESS TO THE MEMBERS OF THE 

FRESHMAN CLASS 

Iowa State College 

Delivered October 6, 1915 

Members of the Freshman Class — 

I am glad to stand in the presence of the largest freshman class 
ever enrolled in the Iowa State College. Time is to determine 
whether it is to be, in truth,, the best class. The opportunity is yours. 
As to the outcome, there is where this question of efficiency enters. 

As I view it, the first and fundamental essential of efficiency is that 
the student shall understand and unreservedly enter into the spirit of 
the institution. In the short time you have been with us you have 
become fairly well acquainted with these grounds and buildings. You 
have no doubt admired the beauty of the one and the stateliness and 
graceful outline of the other. They have come into your lives to 
stay. They will be near to you in your goings and comings in the 
next four years, and will abide with you as pleasant memories through 
your lives ; but with all their attractiveness and inspiring appeal, they 
do not constitute the College. They are but the physical environ- 
ment of the real institution. The I. S. C, which I believe you will 
learn to love, as untold thousands who have passed through its portals 
do love, is made of spirit and not of clay or brick and stone. It is 
a bundle of ideals which have been wrought out through the years 
by far-sighted wisdom and limitless sacrifice ; ideals which have stood 
the test of long experience, and which to-day are imbedded as unalter- 
able traditions in our institutional life. These constitute the heart 
and soul of the college. To know them is to know I. S. C, and 
thus to know I. S. C. in its quickening spirit and God-approved am- 
bitions is to have started aright on the road toward maximum effi- 
ciency. I would I might introduce you this afternoon to the real 
I. S. C. and enroll you heart and soul in the carrying out of its exalted 
purposes. The rest of the journey would be easy. 

123 



124 EDGAR WILLIAMS STANTON 

For one thing, the I. S. C. with which I wish you might thus be- 
come acquainted has infinite faith in the high character of the work 
it is doing. It is often a difficult thing for the student to decide upon 
the course of study he should take. It is mighty important, too. A 
host of factors enter into the problem. The financial outlook in the 
industry to which the course leads ; the kind of workers that industry 
requires; the character of preparation asked; the natural aptitude or 
industrial inclination of the student toward it ; the special opportuni- 
ties he may have in getting started in that particular line; these, and 
many other considerations should be carefully canvassed and weighed. 
In my judgment the consideration that towers above all others in im- 
portance centers around the question whether the work appeals to him 
so strongly that he feels that he can live with it through the years in 
continuous joy, gathering from it each day inspiration for the best 
effort that is in him. This right adjustment of inclination and 
capability to the work offered, should be carefully and wisely made. 
The work itself, in every one of our divisions, is, as I say, of 
the highest character. There is not a course of study offered 
in this institution which does not look toward economic possi- 
bilities and opportunities for usefulness which should thrill the heart 
of every new soldier in its ranks. Are you enrolled in Agriculture 
or Veterinary Science? If so, I congratulate you. The call for high 
quality workers along these lines was never more urgent than now. 
The Iowa farm has come to occupy a unique position in the industrial 
series. It is no longer a bit of ground v\'hich mere muscle can tickle 
with a plow to the making of an abundant harvest. It is rather a 
great productive plant, representing large investment and much equip- 
ment, and requiring in its management scientific knowledge, executive 
ability and a superabundance of good horse sense. It may be likened 
to a great laboratory to whose work the hand and mind must be 
rightly schooled if the results reached are to be worth while. No 
other state in the Union has such possibilities of wealth production 
as has Iowa in her soil. You are to possess it ; you are to preserve 
it; you are to breed its grains and stock into higher types; you are 
to make agriculture in all its various lines more productive and thus 



ADDRESS 125 

more profitable. In classroom, field and laboratory you are to learn 
the "how". Your leaders are to be men trained in their specialities, 
and brim full of enthusiasm in their work. Could there be for you 
agriculturists higher incentive to the acquiring of the greatest possible 
efficiency ? 

Are you an engineer? Were you at the campfire last evening? 
Did you meet an enthusiastic bunch of young stalwarts? Have you 
looked into the history of engineering at I. S. C. ? Have you made 
yourself familiar with the record of the men who have gone out of 
this institution to fight for honorable place in the engineering pro- 
fession? If not, do so. It will stir your blood and give you firmer 
resolution. You will find that we have grown in Engineering as we 
have all along the line. I saw on an Engineering banner yesterday 
the number 800. I can remember when one could count the entire 
enrollment on the fingers of less than half a dozen people. We have 
now ten sections in calculus. One year I taught the only calculus 
class and there were only two in the class. I have always been proud 
of them though. One of them is a manufacturer in Wisconsin's chief 
city. I stood the other day in Machinery Hall at the Panama Expo- 
sition. His exhibit occupied large space in that mammoth building. 
The other of the two has passed to the great beyond ; but as long as 
engineering genius and accomplishment are honored among men, so 
long shall the builder of that ocean railway along the east coast of 
Florida rank high among the world's famous engineers. Everywhere, 
with the years, Ames Engineers have brought honor to themselves and 
the college. It seems strange that out here on the prairies, in the 
center of a great agricultural state, there should have been built an 
engineering school which stands among the first half dozen engineer- 
ing colleges in this country. This is to be largely credited to the 
men who have guided its councils, determined its courses of study, 
and held its students to high requirements. The Engineering Divi- 
sion was never better manned and equipped ; the field of engineering 
never more alluring or progressive. The great world outside of Iowa 
still offers rich rewards for our engineering graduates, while the 
swing of local industrial development is markedly in their direction. 



126 EDGAR WILLIAMS STANTON 

The greater Iowa of the future is to be a symmetrically developed 
Iowa. Agriculture and manufactures are to work hand in hand in its 
building. It is to be greater agriculture, greater manufacturing, a 
greater commonwealth. Ames Engineers can be leaders on the en- 
gineering side of this movement, if they but catch the vision and make 
use of the opportunity. Engineers, it is your proposition. Inefficiency 
will not find place in the race. Efficiency can have the whole field 
of industry at its command. Any young man of engineering inclina- 
tions with red blood in his veins should not hesitate to accept the 
challenge. 

I see before me a large number of Home Economists. I am glad 
you are here at I. S. C. There was talk one time of sending our 
girls to Iowa City. The proposition stirred the depths in college, 
and in the state, and stirring the depths always means progress. In- 
stead of less young women we have more. Our attendance has 
doubled. We men take off our hats to you Home Economists. We 
grant that home building is the biggest thing in the world ; it is bigger 
than making farms, or banks, or manufactories or palaces of trade. 
We need you, too, to set the intellectual pace. Once men doubted 
the mentality of women. Experience has shown them to be worthy 
competitors of the sterner sex even in the most difficult studies. I 
warn you ladies, however, that you have earnest work before you to 
maintain the acquired reputation of our women's department. 
Women are sometim.es credited with a sort of natural athletic in- 
tellectual power, — the power to jump at a conclusion, for instance. 
I doubt, however, if it's safe for them to rely upon this in mathe- 
matics or the other sciences, or even in German, sewing or cooking. 
I apprehend that the road to effective work is the same for them as 
for other mortals. Our sororities at one time stood at the head of 
our student organizations in scholarship averages. They can regain 
and hold that coveted place only through efficient well directed effort. 
In college and out of college they have the very strongest incentives 
to good work. They need have no fear of over competition in the 
employment market. Every where Home Economics is coming into 
its own, and then you know there is a process of natural depletion 



ADDRESS 127 

going on that will take care of any possible over supply. Young 
women, the world is yours to conquer; but the idler, the social de- 
votee, the indifferent worker will not be in, in the conquering. 

Underlying all lines of applied work in college are the great 
sciences waiting to give their mysteries over into the hands of the 
genuine seeker after truth that he may connect them up with the 
every day on-goings of our industrial world. Nowhere else in our 
work does efficiency count for greater service or more permanent 
personal satisfaction. 

Be you, then, Agriculturist, Veterinarian, Engineer, Home Econo- 
mist, or Scientist, the work you are entering upon is worth while. 
It is in the line of the highest educational development. It looks to 
a new earth of increased and increasing productiveness. It is in step 
with that marvellous mechanical progress which has multiplied the 
articles of manufacture, revolutionized transportation on railway and 
highway, made the human voice to speak across a continent and has 
filled our homes with labor-saving devices and new found comforts. 
In the dignity and worth of that work, we, who have grown up in it, 
have, I say, infinite faith. I want you to know this faith side of the 
real I. S. C. It is the inspiring side. It is the side that will give 
meaning to your college life, will put snap and vigor into your daily 
work and lead you whole-heartedly to seek the means of making it 
more efficient. 

In the real I. S. C, the worker is most important. The student is, 
in fact, the heart and center of this great enterprise. Except for him, 
it would have no meaning, no existence. This campus beautiful, 
these noble buildings, these shops and laboratories equipped with the 
best that science can devise are here for him. These instructors, more 
than 300 in number, gathered from many states and representing the 
choicest product of many colleges and universities are here to serve 
him. How infinitely short of the truth is that notion held by some 
that all this expenditure of wealth and energy is for the purpose of 
making you into mere money-making machines. A college that has 
this for its ideal does not deserve to live. And a student body that 
does not line its collegiate life to an all-around high standard of man- 



128 EDGAR WILLIAMS STANTON 

hood and womanhood fails sadly in its dut}^ to itself and the institu- 
tion. We talk about efficiency. Can we reach it by tearing down 
the physical naan ? By benumbing our faculties with liquor or barter- 
ing the command of our will for the temporary pleasure of smoking a 
cigarette? I was once urging a student, in whom I was deeply in- 
terested, to brace up in his studies and make a man of himself. He 
turned upon me like some animal at bay, and looked me in the eye. 
He said, "I would like to do what you ask of me because of my 
parents, because of the college, because you want me to do it, because 
my whole future is involved in it, but it is too late. I am a cigarette 
fiend." He went his way, but I turned from that interview with 
the resolve that as long as I had speech my voice should be raised 
against the accursed habit. I know the struggle. College life is 
fearfully intense. It tears down or builds up. It ends in toughened 
fiber and stronger manhood ; or in flabbiness and weakness. Let us 
do the reasonable thing. It is absurd to attempt to ascend and descend 
a mountain at the same time. Every energy of our nature is needed 
in the climbing. The physical, intellectual and moral man must all 
face upward if the highest efficiency is to be attained. That I. S. C. 
ideal which I would lay upon your heart to-day can be realized only 
as this institution develops and sends out into the waiting fields of 
service men and women w^ho are as pure and clean and wholesome 
as this beautiful campus, and in their integrity as strong and enduring 
as these granite grounded buildings. Thorough-going honesty should 
be the watchword of the college student ; cheating never, not because 
the law of the institution would drop him for a year from the college 
for such offense, but because it is fundamentally and eternally wrong. 
The world wants honest men, honest experimenters, honest farmers 
who will neither rob the soil nor their fellow men directly or in- 
directly; engineers who will be true to the highest ideals of pro- 
fessional honor, putting honesty into every structure they may build ; 
honest workmen everywhere who will make every product of their 
labor bear silent testimony to the high moral standards that govern 
them. Unless this class of 1919, as it marches forward from this 
October afternoon to the days of graduation, shall add to skilled 



ADDRESS 129 

hand and trained intellect moral stamina and worth, it will have 
failed to realize upon the real meaning of I. S. C. or to gain any 
efficiency that is worth while. 

Again I. S. C. means hard work. Some of you have, no doubt, 
already caught a glimpse of this fact. Perhaps 3'ou had heard of it 
before you came here. Some people pass this institution by because 
it is not a loitering place, — a winter resort as it were. Many more 
there are who are attracted to Ames because it is a great, busy, in- 
tellectual workshop. They like the challenge. I take it from your 
presence here that you are among that number. The student who 
has the true metal in him is not afraid of hard work. The world 
likes it, too, in its institutions of learning. As this hard work idea 
at Ames permeates the state and is heralded along the pathways of 
industry outside our borders, it gives us high standing as a college, 
and adds to the value of every Ames diploma. It is one of the ideals 
of I. S. C. of which we may be especially proud. 

I have been speaking of hard work. I mean thereby efficient work, 
showing itself in results. Some one says tell us in detail how efficiency 
in intellectual endeavor can be attained ? This is a difficult question. 
Experience here at Ames has, however, thrown light upon a few 
points in the answer. I wish I might talk to you in a heart-to-heart 
way about some of them : 

( 1 ) To begin with, if you would do efficient work in any of our 
semesters, you must get into the game early. This institution is like 
a great ship going out to sea. The date of its starting is fixed. Its 
machinery begins to move at a definite time. It carries with it on 
its voyage interests that are as important as any that are centered in 
an ocean steamer. Not mere transient business, but often life des- 
tinies are involved. And yet there are those who ignore the "all 
aboard" call. They have friends to visit, they are needed another day 
in the store room or on the farm ; they would like to take an auto- 
mobile trip; they want to stand by their summer's job a little longer 
in order that they may earn more money with which to meet their 
necessary expenses in college. The excuses they make to themselves 
and the Dean differ in weight, and sometimes they are sufficient to 



130 EDGAR WILLIAMS STANTON 

warrant delay in beginning the term's work. In the large majority 
of cases, however, they represent simply a mistake in the measuring 
of comparative values. The opening days of college are among the 
most important of the term. They are the days of adjustment; of 
getting out of vacation and settling down to work, of starting aright 
and getting a firm grip on initial principles. Failure to be at the 
post of college duty in this critical period can be justified only by 
extraordinarily good reasons. I am confirmed in this view by the 
testimony each term of a considerable number of students who have 
made failure of their semester's assignment and are dropping out of 
college, that their fatal error was in not beginning work promptly 
after vacation. The student who would make himself efficient and 
win out in the struggle must, like the athlete on the track, be ofi at 
the sound of the gun. 

It follows, as a corollary to this proposition, that having once 
entered upon the race the student should stand by his colors until the 
final victory is won. Either the college faculty has made a serious 
mistake in laying out its courses of study, or they do not include 
sufficient work to keep the average student busy. If "A", who is a 
bright boy needs all of his time to master one of them how can "B", 
if of only equal ability, absent himself from recitation room or labora- 
tory for a week or even less, and do his studies justice? It is simply 
another example of short-sighted judgment and generally leads to the 
same disastrous result. We are all prone to put off some of our 
work until to-morrow, generally selecting that which is least to our 
liking. It is a foolish thing to do, but we do it, and pay the penalty. 
The work postponed added to the next day's tasks makes a double 
burden to be carried, and inefficiently done as it probably will be 
under such adverse conditions, constitutes a weak foundation for 
future building. How easily may one thus put fatal handicap upon 
his term's endeavor. It follows from proposition and corollary that 
we should begin work at the proper time; keep eternally at it; never 
allow it to accumulate ; never put oH until to-morrow that which we 
should do to-day. That is the efficiency method. 

Again, put yourself in the right attitude toward your work. If, in 



ADDRESS 131 

so doing, it is necessary to straighten out some kinks in your dispo- 
sition, do it. Give the glad hand to every study on your schedule. 
Except as you really want to make their acquaintance, you shall not 
know them. As the good book in substance puts it, hunger after the 
right things and you shall be filled. You must be the aggressive 
party. History, literature, the pure and applied sciences, will not 
come to you. You must go to them. As a boy in my office one day, 
said, "I see I must get after them." The highest authority puts it, 
"Knock and it shall be opened unto you." Not faint hearted, per- 
functory knocking, but whole-hearted knocking. Then shall the 
doors swing wide and in the feast hall you shall sit among the mighty. 
A disheartened student said to me not long since, "I cannot carry 
my schedule, I cannot find time to master it." Were you ever com- 
pletely discouraged ? Let me suggest a remedy. I know at least one 
case in which it worked. Ask yourself squarely the question,— does 
it add an iota to my power to fight life's battles? If the answer 
comes that it brings weakness rather than strength, do not nurse it, 
do not magnify it, nor ask pity from others. Put it out of your life. 
Returning to the statement of the student, it suggests two of the 
most essential elements of efficiency, thoroughness and time economy. 
One involves the other, for thoroughness means time saving. You 
desire a knowledge of chemistry and set yourself to obtain it. At 
first the road is dark ; the details are many and confusing ; the clouds 
hang low. But if with courage you pursue your way, doing thorough 
work, conquering as you go, firmly gripping underlying principles 
and stringing the assorted details thereon, you will directly find your- 
self, as the boys say, on "easy street," working in the sunlight of a 
clear understanding of a great and noble science. Mere surface 
knowledge will count you little, either in college or out. The col- 
lege and the outside industrial world asks for thorough men, master- 
ful men who can go to the bottom of things; for those it has rich 
reward; for the others, conditions and N. P.'s. 

Many of you, I know, feel the need of more time in which to do 
your work. How can this be found? Systematizing your day's 
schedule will help a little. A planless day is an inefficient day. 



132 EDGAR WILLIAMS STANTON 

Arrange your personal time card with care; fill the hours with work 
that counts ; give the non-essentials a back seat ; set aside reasonable 
time for athletics and social recreation, but do not overdo the matter. 
If, by doing the other things well, you have earned the right to play 
football or attend the week end dance, you will enjoy them all the 
more. He who neglects duty for pleasure always carries with him 
an uncomfortable uneasy feeling which, like Banquo's ghost, will not 
down. When one becomes accustomed to it, there is downright 
pleasure in a day full up with work, even though the pressure is a 
little strong. The one thing more important than all else, intellectu- 
ally, that the student gets, or can get, at I. S. C, is the power of 
accomplishing a maximum amount of work in a given time. A man 
up country, a graduate of the college, told me of his experience. 
He had not acquired the power of which I speak. When he had 
a spare hour between two recitations, — represented as you know, by 
one of those blank rectangles on your time card, — he said it took 
him ten or fifteen minutes or more to put his hat away, find a chair, 
settle the furniture in the room, compose his nerves and get down to 
his studies. Directly, long before the end of the hour, he began to 
get uneasy, wonder what time it was, think about his girl or the 
people at home, get up, scatter his thoughts and a few other things, 
hunt for his hat and start for class with the hour practically wasted. 
His roommate, a young fellow who has since been a candidate for 
Governor of Illinois, would come in, sit down, bury himself immedi- 
ately in his work, and come into a knowledge of his friend's presence 
just in time to go with him to the next class. My young friends, if 
you wish to become efficient, and through efficiency win success in 
college and in the industrial world for which the college prepares 
5^ou, strive unceasingly^ to acquire the power of concentrated thought, 
dismissing from your mind all other things, and for the time being 
bending every bit of your mental energy to the Avork in hand. Throw 
your mind in this forceful way against the problems of mathe- 
matics, chemistry, mechanics, soils, stock judging or any other college 
subject, and you will be amazed at the added work you can accom- 
plish in a day. 



ADDRESS 133 

The college has wisely made provision for the giving of direct 
personal assistance to the newcomers on our campus. Your instruc- 
tors will gladly help you outside of class. Do not hesitate to ask 
their aid. Advisers are appointed for the special purpose of getting 
into close touch with your difficulties and advising you how to over- 
come them. The office of the Junior Dean has its latch-string out 
always. It is anxious to get into the closest possible relation with 
every phase of your student life, and to help you in every possible 
way. Please banish from your mind every vestige of any carpet 
idea. The carpets are getting old anyway and the Finance Com- 
mittee has notified the departments that in the interest of economv 
they will not be replaced. Perhaps the Dean cannot grant vour re- 
quests. The office does not make rules regarding classification, for 
instance — it administers them. It can grant you only such a schedu' 
as the college faculty marks out. The Dean can add a little to the 
regular number of hours if you bring a standing sheet averaging 90 
or above. I can, however, assure you that every request presented 
will receive careful and sympathetic consideration. I am forced, 
however, to admit to each one of you that success in your college 
career will deoend largely upon your own individual effort. In 
college, as in the world at large, each man is his own architect. He 
may have gathered the material from a thousand sources, it may 
have come to him on the current of numberless lives, but upon him — 
upon you — is put the responsibility of sorting that material and wisely 
using it in building manhood. Industries may be merged, but per- 
sonality never ; each individual is a social unit responsible for his self- 
hood. This is a solemn thing, but it is the glor\^ of human living. 
You are to be congratulated that this self building struggle is to be 
carried forward in an atmosphere of purest democracy. There is no 
such thing as an aristocracy of birth or money at I. S. C. 



THE COLLEGE CHIMES 
Emma McHenry Glenn 78 

Ringing through the years, come the college chimes, 

Voices of days gone by. 

Flooding the soul with the dear rhymes, 

Whose charm can never die. 

The college chimes, the college chimes. 

Ringing through the long, long years. 

Stirring the heart with memories. 

Of hopes and joys and tears. 

The college chimes, the college chimes. 

Ring on through the long, long years. 

Ever the college chimes shall ring, 

Over the campus fair. 

Knowledge and truth are the songs they sing, 

And skill and wisdom rare. 

The college chimes, the college chimes. 

Ringing through the long, long j'ears, 

Filling young hearts with fire divine, 

Ring on for years and years. 

The college chimes, the college chimes. 

Ring on through the long, long years. 



134- 



THE HOUR STROKE OF THE WESTMINISTER CHIME 
Bv Lillian C. Boutelle 




^UJU^C.Ii.n,/U& 



The hour stroke of the clock may be rendered by striking A-flat 
after playing the above chime. 




LIBK.\><\ ot CO^ijRLSS 



LiDE'"'^531bM 




